


Jar Of Wind

by White_Lynx



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Book/Movie Fusion, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 23:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3267539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Lynx/pseuds/White_Lynx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A slightly different take on my Hobbit fiction, 'Heart Of Glass'. Because really, how would the journey go if Rayna didn't join the Company until well into their expedition? What if her and Kili's romance had a rocky start? Can any of them survive a war, cultural misconceptions and old hates that threaten to destroy everything before it can all begin?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jar Of Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike most of my works, this does have breaks between certain timeskips and whatnot cuz I just started binge writing this on a whim and it became its own monster. That and I'm tired of people givin' me the bizz on how I arrange everything. I might decide to have this story be exclusive to this site but I haven't decided yet.
> 
> Enjoy, please comment and gimme some kudos!

“Iii” = speech

“ _Iii_ ” = translated speech

 _Iii_ = thought

The Jar Of Wind Part 1: Journey

There were times where shadows could be scary, or comforting. For the person now trapped in nothing but darkness, the endless black was confusing as well as irritating. To them, there seemed no end to it, no up or down, it simply…was. It had been so long since they’d seen the sky, the sun, missed seeing and feeling the world. How did this individual come to be in this odd space? Simple. She’d gotten too close to some group of men traveling through the woods, and one of them had started chanting some nonsense. In moments, her screams had been silenced when her form had been pulled into, of all things, a jar. Luckily it was a sizable jar. Big enough to hold with both hands but still small enough to carry around. Any attempts to break the clay construct had ended in failure and rage spent mostly in making angry noise. The voices outside laughed and taunted, their words muffled but clear enough for the insults to sting. _As soon as I get out of this thing, they’ll regret doing this to me._ She thought over and over, defiant in the face of whatever the foul men who’d done this to her had planned. As time wore on the woman had to assume she’d been placed in a cart or stuffed into a bag as her vessel swayed a great deal at times, making her growl in protest. Most done to soothe her came in the form of shouts to be silent or someone shaking the jar rather brutally, only serving to anger her more.

Such was repeated over the days that followed, her carrier growing more vindictive in his abuse, each shake making her dizzy and infuriated. More than once she came close to cracking the walls of her container, even used the clay that made up her prison to set any cloth or flesh close by overly warm or dangerously close to ablaze and eliciting shouts and curses from the men outside. The sound of the horse the man ferrying her was using, whinnying and screaming in pain was something she hated but knew was necessary if it meant the jar broke somehow. Yet, nothing worked, leaving the woman more irritable than ever. If anything, it made her captors wary of how they packaged her prison, and possibly handed her off to another of their company who was less foolish. It certainly explained why there wasn’t as much jostling or laughter anymore at her expense, or anyone else’s. She could only assume they were reaching their destination or the road was being harder on her keepers than it’d been in days past. _At least it keeps them from trying to be mean to me._ Were her thoughts on the matter, spending her waking hours trying to find a way out of her prison. It was possible her captors didn’t know or care who or what she was, only that they had something supernatural in a bloody jar.

Any real sentiments changed when after maybe two weeks trapped in the infernal clay jar, she awoke to the sounds of shouts and calls of rage and terror. Louder, deeper voices talked over them, not bothered in the slightest how the men fought and made noise. It didn’t take her long to realize the other voices were that of trolls, making her curse her captors in going so close to where such villains dwelled. Knowing her captors were doomed as she listened to their shouts dying down so the air was dominated by the rough voices of the trolls, the woman pondered what to do. Calling out would reveal her presence and there was no guarantee the foul beasts would even let her out. But she couldn’t allow her vessel to be discarded and forgotten either, trapping her forever. A jolt told her that her container was being moved, though if it was with knowledge of what the bag she was probably in held was hard to say. Knowing her time was limited, the woman took a few priming breaths and let out the best lilting song she could. It was a simple melody she’d heard in a tavern some months ago that she’d liked, her memory able to recall the words, their tune and how to make it better. All motion stopped, suggesting the trolls could hear her, their gruff voices sounding off as the argued on where the sound of her voice was coming from. “Here, here!” one snarled, the feel of the bag being upended nearly making her stop singing, the edge of the jar’s base colliding with the ground being the real show-stopper.

To show her irritation, she growled and fell silent. More about the drop not putting a proper crack in the clay prison than being dropped but it didn’t matter. It would certainly get the trolls to be more wary as they’d already begun to argue among each other on what to do with their new ‘singing jar’. After a while they quieted down, likely having chosen to settle in for the day as the sun would turn them to stone and leave their bickering for later. The hours felt like ages before night fell again, forced to hear them argue some more over who could have the jar or not. When they weren’t arguing over that, they were trying to coerce her into singing again, but the woman remained silent. Sensing she wasn’t going to do as they asked, one spent most of his time promising they wouldn’t drop the jar anymore. Not about to give in, silence prevailed well until a few days later when a new commotion drove the woman out of her wandering thoughts, the rough voices of the trolls loud as new voices called and roared in Dwarvish. Surprised by the change, the woman listened as the battle raged, curious about how it would go and who would win in the end. In the midst of it all, someone or something knocked her jar off wherever the trolls had put it, causing her to cry out instinctively.

“Me singin’ jar!” one of the trolls exclaimed, his deep voice hinting at panic.

Another was growling in turn, stern and enraged. “Give it back!"

“Come on now, dwarf…hand it back nice and friendly-like.” The third muttered in mock-kindness, anger just underneath and full of promise of future hurt. Something the person now holding the woman’s prison clearly didn’t believe.

“Why should I? You were going to hurt our friend!” the man growled, fury evident especially in how the jar shook slightly.

“Give it back, I tell ye!” the first troll whined loudly, his voice a childish keen.

“Maybe I should break it, just to spite you!” the new voice snarled, and the jar stopped shaking.

 _Please break it!_ The woman thought, hoping her luck truly had turned for the better.

“No! You’ll hurt the singin’ lady!” the troll protested, sounding desperate now. His words had obviously confused the new group as another voice off to the side, gruff and aged demanded.

“That makes no sense! How can there be a lady in there?!”

“Try speakin’ to it! Maybe she’ll sing for us!” the troll urged, believing that if the dwarf obeyed it would keep him from breaking the jar. When nothing happened, the troll spoke again, insistent. “Go on!”

The man’s voice spoke up, soft and hesitant against the side of the jar, sounding fairly dubious of the troll’s sanity. “Hello?”

 _Now’s my chance!_ The woman thought, daring to whisper back. “Free me.”

“Hello?” the voice tried again, probably disbelieving he’d actually gotten a response.

“Free me, and the trolls will die.” She said, hoping the person wielding her prison didn’t become her next jailer.

Silence followed, and the woman had to keep from screaming for any kind of response from the man. Instead, the jar seemed to tilt a bit and jerk almost like…. _Like he’s trying to take off the lid! Yes!_ She thought and had to keep from groaning aloud when still nothing happened when the jerking stopped. Off to the side, a deeper voice was demanding. “Kili, what’re you doing!?”

“I’m trying something!” the first voice told the second, the familiar sound of earth against the jar’s base echoing off the interior. Whatever the dwarf, Kili he was named apparently, was planning, the woman within prayed to the gods that it worked. She didn’t want to be in the dark of the jar anymore.

In the distance, one of the trolls was muttering loudly to possibly everyone or just himself, it was hard to say. “Well, why didn’t we think of that?”

“Oi! What’re you doin’?” the whining troll challenged, panic edging his voice now. Above the jar, Kili was speaking once more. “The lid is stuck, I may have to break it.”

“No! You’ll hurt the singin’ lady!” the childish troll declared, calling out. “Don’t let him do it, Will!”

“She can always go into another jar, Bert. I say break it.” another of the trolls responded curtly, ending the childish troll’s protests.

 _Your mistake._ The woman thought as the first strike hit, much to her elation. _Yes! It’s breaking!_ A thought proven by how the clay broke apart on the second blow, revealing a sword tip of dwarf make and the night sky just beyond. The sight, as well as exposure to the outside world was literally a breath of fresh air, the sword retreating to be replaced by a youthful face covered in dark stubble. The man’s expression was that of confusion as he stared down into the broken jar’s interior, his dark hair and brown eyes matching as he frowned. “There’s…nothing.”

“What?” more than one person asked, some incredulous.

“It’s empty. It’s just a jar.” Kili told them, his tone suggesting he’d fully expected to see something, not…air.

 _That’s what you think._ The woman thought, finally allowing her delighted chuckles to fill the air, making the dwarf jump and most nearby curse. Uncaring of their reactions, the woman let her wind form rise out of the broken shards of clay, wearing the jar’s remains down to dust as she went. Rising into the air as a lazy twister, the woman was finally able to see that the night sky was edged by the coming sunrise, giving her enough to work with in order to do as she’d promised. Laughing happily as she went higher, she saw all present were watching now, most of them slack jawed and stunned. By the fire, one of the trolls was smiling like a fool. “Singin’ lady! You gonna sing a melody now?”

 _What an idiot_ , she thought. Ignoring him, she instead paid attention to the collection of dwarves. By her count, there were thirteen of them, including the one whose face she recognized now as Kili’s. She thought she saw what looked to be a hobbit among the burly males but decided to ignore it. At the moment, she had business to attend to. Using the most polite voice she could, the woman spoke. “What is the name of my liberator, allowing me to see the night sky once more?”

“Kili, son of Dis. These are my kin. Who are you?” the brunette dwarf asked, his warm brown eyes trying to pinpoint exactly where her voice was coming from.

Amused by his attempts to find her as she was, the woman had to fight down the light chuckle in her non-existent throat. “I am Rayna, and this is but one of my forms. You have fulfilled your promise, now I will fulfill mine.”

“Oi! What’re you jabberin’ about!?” one of the trolls rudely called out, his brutish face adding to the demand. Moving away from the dwarf so to be above the camp, Rayna circled almost like a bird of prey. “It’s been some time since I dealt with trolls, but your kind are all the same: you each suffer from your mistakes.” She said, watching the trio of large beings gawk up at the sky where she was. “This dwarf gave me freedom, and I will give you the sun!”

The trolls had no time to do or say anything, crying out as the rock keeping the star’s light from reaching them was split using a bit of wind power, turning the normally harmless element into a blade strong enough to break the boulder in half, causing the thick hide on the large beasts to smolder before hardening into grey stone. Expressions of surprise, anger and pain were forever immortalized as statues now frozen in place for other travelers to ponder. Elated at her success, Rayna darted up into the sky as she called out a loud ‘thank you!’ back at the dwarves, leaving them behind for the skies above. From what the stars said, she had about a month’s worth of time to make up for.

\----

Being solid again was a delight, able to feel the real wind and see the sky, the cool earth under her feet after taking off her boots. Taking full advantage of her freedom by jumping into the nearest river, the Bruinen fresh and clear, allowed Rayna to rid herself from the imagined filth from her captivity. Hunger and thirst were easily sated through the same waters and the fish swimming desperately away from her, but fell victim to the jaws of her wolf form. Being in wind form for so long was draining but easily fixed by the real sleep and food she got over the week or two hanging around the edges of Rivendell before she decided to wander further south. Tracking down her old campsite hadn’t been hard and was thankfully more or less untouched during her absence though all the food had gone bad. Finding a trading town was easy in order to replenish what she’d lost, able to trade furs and information for money before turning to the poster wall petitioning a wandering sword like hers for work. She gave up after an hour of reading and being hit on by a staggering drunk, the man earning a broken nose and amused laughter from observers for his trouble. Rather than spending the night at the local inn, mostly due to being tired of other people after just a day of being surrounded by them, Rayna instead headed back into the woods where she easily caught a pair of rabbits for dinner. The stew she made with them was heaven in her mouth, delighted at having something flavorful once more. She’d been jailed before and during those times, it was in four walls and a door with a small window so the jailer could see her with. At least said men fed her, even if what they gave was scraps half the time. Now after a month of no food at all, Rayna was treating herself, if in small amounts so not to make herself sick. The last time she’d done so, nearly all she’d eaten had become a stinking mess on the ground, meat and seasoning wasted. Lounging by the fire of her camp, she ate half a bowl before calling it a night, intending to reheat it for breakfast. This pattern continued for at least a week prior to hunger finally saying it wanted more and prompting her to change into wolf-form and taking down a full-sized deer with her fangs.

Changing back so not to tear the animal’s pelt into useless pieces, Rayna skinned and packaged the sections of meat she wasn’t going to eat right away, no matter how good they smelled to her sensitive nose. This pattern went on for at least another two weeks until her hunger stopped being so bothersome and she was at least a few days away from Tharbad, in the hopes of taking the roads there west to Sarn Ford. If she didn’t find work at once place then surely the other had something. Rayna woke early one morning to the feel of something using its tiny legs to walk across her face, forcing her to jerk back to wakefulness, sputtering and panicked of something possibly disgusting being on her exposed flesh. Wiping the odd sensation from her skin, Rayna felt immediately guilty when looking about, her sharp eyes fell on a moth. From the way it kept circling above her head, it had been sent as a messenger and had landed on her in order to wake her up. “Sorry little friend, you startled me. Couldn’t you wait?”

The moth circled one more time before coming down to land on her outstretched hand, the woman leaning in close to better hear the muffled words the insect relayed. It spoke in a voice she hadn’t heard in what felt like an age. Gandalf the Grey, the Wanderer and supposed bringer of woe was finally cashing in his favor of her! _He wants me to help the Line of Durin? But who…oh boy._ She thought as she recalled the dwarves and their strange hobbit companion from nearly a month earlier. None of them had been merchants or mere guards but warriors, well aged and ready for anything. Thirteen in all and armed to the teeth if they could take on three trolls without qualms. Her memory didn’t show the wizard being with the dwarves and hobbit however, making her question quite a few things. Looking back to the moth, she spoke as kindly as before. “When were you asked to find me?”

 _Two months ago._ The moth’s reply came almost in a taunting whisper, making Rayna want to kick herself right in her own hind parts. Two months ago she’s been traveling up from Lond Daer to Tharbad in the first month, in search of work when the strange men and their infernal jar appeared only to drag her too far north for the second. And she’d just spent the latest third trying to get back into her groove only to learn she had to change her course again. For all she knew, the poor moth on her hand had been circling for days, trying to find her in a form that was meant to be impossible to track. _And now I’m asked to go back and try and find them again, maybe pull them out of some other foul predicament._ Allowing the moth to flutter away to vanish into the bushes, Rayna sat in thought for over an hour at how the fates seemed to be toying with her. _Leave it to a wizard to wait four bloody decades to call in a favor._ She thought without bitterness. In fact, Rayna felt a thrill of amusement at the distant memory of the aged magus and how they’d met in her mid thirties, aiding her taking down a slaver’s caravan in the coastal lands of Forlindon. To know he asked for her sword in return now was a very ironic thing and if the wizard knew of her involvement at all was very likely if the dwarves had been honest with the elderly man. If they truly were in this odd quest of theirs together, whatever it was, Rayna knew that time was now working against her. _Looks like I’m going back north after all_ , came the realization that going south and then west would be a wasted effort, even if she found work with someone else. Packing up everything in a neat rush, Rayna made sure her fire pit held no harmful cinders and anything left behind could be used by another or be returned to the forest over time. Knowing that time was probably of the essence if she was to catch up fast enough to fulfill the wizard’s request, Rayna became wind once more, assured that no one was going to trap her in a magic jar this time around.

The flight north took at least two days, deciding to take things at pace should the dwarves not be too far ahead. Aware that if the party were truly headed east, they would have to visit the elven valley of Rivendell, the hidden house a friendly resting place for all those in league with all things of the light. The closer she got, the better their scents met her nose, telling her who she sought had indeed been there but now it was fading. Not about to move on without a proper clue, the woman dove right into the middle of the complex, hoping to find someone with any idea where her quarry had gone. Darting around she found someone who could give her the answer: none other than the lord of the house himself, Elrond. Seated in his study with one of his sons, the elf lord blinked when the room filled with a small zephyr when there shouldn’t have been one, his dark eyes becoming almost comically wide when Rayna materialized in the middle of the room. Dressed in a deep navy tunic and a matching navy blue jacket, steel-grey trousers and brown boots that almost came to her knee, a pair of swords on her left hip, both thin and meant for different types of combat allowed her to present an intimidating image. At her back was her bow and quiver, the leather belt matching the one around her waist and the leather vambraces almost covering her forearms and gloved hands completely. Her earth brown hair framed her fair-colored face, the shortest of the dark locks coming to just her nose while the rest was long enough to be just past her shoulders and held back in a simple tail. Fulfilling her visage were the three scars on her left cheek and jaw, the longest having come dangerously close to taking out her eye but got the brow instead and the shortest a nick by her chin. Add her ice blue eyes, almost completely translucent even in the dimmest lighting and even an elf could see she was a woman not to be trifled with. Next to Elrond, the young boy was openly gaping while the lord himself struggled to maintain some kind of polished image. “Who are you, and how did you enter my home?”

Unfazed by the half-elf’s hard tone, Rayna only stared. “I am Rayna Windrunner, captain and no threat to this honorable house, Lord Elrond.” Her words made the elf lord blink, clearly surprised that she knew who he was. “But my business is urgent, for I seek former guests of yours.”

“Guests? I’ve had many so if you’re willing to be more specific.” Elrond responded calmly enough, his brow wrinkling as he frowned.

Rayna had to fight not to grit her teeth, irritated but keeping up her polite façade. “Due to…delays, my ability to join with Gandalf the Grey and his party is much overdue and I seek to at least try and make up the loss. I know not what their mission is but it must be important if one of the Ishtari asks for my aid.”

The elf lord’s brown eyes widened once more, his jaw growing slack. “You are a shifter? I’d thought your kind to be long gone.”

“Just because we are gone does not mean we are dead. Like you, we hide but now I must be visible if I’m to complete my task. Now, answer my question.” Rayna said, not in the mood for humoring the half elf and his curiosities.

“They left, Thorin Oakenshield and his kin to the High Pass no doubt, so to get across the Misty Mountains. Gandalf used the meeting of the White Council to allow them time to depart without my blessing.”

At this, Rayna frowned deeply, the news of such an occurrence sending a chill down her spine. “The White Council? Such have not met in over an age. Is something amiss?”

“Rumors, mostly. A necromancer at Dol Guldur, the idea that maybe Smaug the Terrible is dead and the Lone Mountain and its treasures lie undefended. Much is happening of late and it bodes ill.” He informed her, face grim and eyes shadowed with thought.

The woman stood in contemplative silence a moment, going over the many years spent crossing Middle-Earth from east to west and back. What she recalled had her frown etched into her face. “That much I can confirm. Though I know not of Smaug but I do know a great shadow is pressing up from the south and east of here. At the edge of your borders, it’s faint and spread thin but hard to miss. Worse, friends of mine near Mirkwood feel the great forest is growing foul and unnatural things while what is there grows sick and twisted. I’d say that someone or something is on the move, and you and other leaders will be hard-pressed to deal with it.”

Thrown by her words, Elrond began to protest. “We don’t--.”

“Lord Elrond, just because something is gone…doesn’t always mean it’s dead.” Rayna said in a dead tone, her voice and gaze silencing the man, causing him to pale slightly. Satisfied her words had made an impact, Rayna spoke in a kinder tone when she continued. “Take my words into thought, you and our witness. For now, I have work of my own to do. I bid you and your kin farewell and good fortune in the days to come. You just may need it.”

Her departure gave the elf lord no time to put together a proper response as she left as she’d appeared, rising high into the sky so to get her bearings. If what Elrond said was true, and it probably was, Rayna had some more catching up to do if she hoped to reach Gandalf and his party in time. _I just hope they haven’t gotten themselves into some kind of corner again._ She thought while bypassing the rocky cliffs surrounding the valley to head east and towards the long line of peaks far in the distance. Using one of the rivers as a guide, Rayna was able to reach the High Pass in just three days, the familiar scents of the dwarves along with the odd smell of the hobbit still potent. Why she didn’t sense the wizard was odd but the shifter woman decided not to question it. Instead, she continued, following them up and into the mountains. Smells she almost lost halfway through the winding paths as all the surrounding stone and moss stunk of a recent rainfall in the last few days, forcing her to check some of the caves along the way. To her equal relief and horror, she found them but also the strong stench of goblins, frustrated to no end when she found no crack in the door covered by sand and thus no way to get inside the caves just beneath. There must be another way then, Rayna thought as she was soon back outside and in the sky again, this time as a hawk so to use the bird’s keen vision in tandem with her own. She found a cave-like hole after half a day of searching but the opening smelled nothing like the dwarves or the hobbit, stabbing her with fear. Rayna wanted to go inside and look for them but didn’t know how long it would take or even if any of them were still alive. For all she knew, this was not the only way out, or the caves inside were so deep and confusing, she’d get lost and miss their escape or find them dead maybe weeks after going in. Not about to take a chance on it, Rayna decided to find a good place to wait in the trees and hope the dwarves would eventually emerge, of their own volition or not. It was well into the late hours of the second day that clashing metal and shouting met her ears, making the shifter woman squawk in her hawk form from the sudden influx of noise. Blinking her golden orbs, Rayna was shocked to see Gandalf leading the way out of the mountain with the same dwarves she’d seen just over a month earlier not far behind, bearing their weapons but no provisions that she could see. _They must not have been down there very long if they’re in fairly good shape but lacking their supplies. This quest just got a little harder._

Leaving her perch so to try and follow them, Rayna found they’d paused on some boulders a good half mile away from the cave, the hobbit and his sandy curls having somehow appeared between her spotting them and where they were now. They seemed to be in deep conversation and was about to swoop down and join them when a warg howl echoed over the hills and got the dwarves and friends running once more. Flying overhead, Rayna wasn’t about to watch on. Things came to a head when the dwarves ran out of land to run on and ascended into trees, swiping their blades at hungry warg mouths hounding them all the way to a nearby cliff that had Rayna more than nervous. She circled in her hawk form, trying to figure out what to do when the whole place seemed to come alive with fire. Her keen eyes picked up Gandalf using his magic to set pinecones on fire for the dwarves and hobbit to throw like little sparks of flame to catch on the ground or the wargs themselves. Seeing that not all of the beasts had been swayed to leave the now leaning tree alone, Rayna swooped down in the hopes all they would think of her presence was that of a hawk defending its tree. Shrieking angrily, her claws were soon dark with blood and fur, fluttering up and out of the way of sharp fangs and loud barks each time the beasts tried to get her. At some point, one of the Orc warriors got fed up with have a pesky bird harassing them, joining the fray to swing his blade at her. Not about to let this happen, Rayna screeched at the warrior as she quickly dove to the side and away from the sword and into the sky. Certainly not about to be driven off either, Rayna changed tactics in making sure no one could see her before she returned, this time in her wolf form. Larger than the average beast, silver grey fur was made dull by the surrounding darkness but her eyes, now their natural ice blue were shining brightly in the light of the flames. Circling around to flank the wargs and their Orc riders, Rayna made sure they were all distracted before striking once again, killing an Orc from behind with her strong jaws. The taste of its dark blood in her mouth was disgusting but a worthy cost if it meant one less to deal with. Her prey didn’t go down quietly either, his dying shout getting many to turn and see her, including the warg the rider had been on. Snapping its jaws the warg was turning so to get any part of her it could in return, breath stinking up the air worse than all the ash and stench of burnt flesh could. Rayna was prepared however, jumping away and using the beast’s larger size against it to tear its throat apart to bleed out on the ground in pained wails.

By now, several Orcs were marching over to end what they no doubt saw as a farce on their original intent of killing some dwarves. If she still had a human face, Rayna would’ve smiled like a demon at them, but kept herself in the moment. One slip and she was dead. Amidst it all, the tree at the cliff’s edge had begun to give way, causing two of the dwarves to hang from Gandalf’s staff, their voices deep and distressed. Even more interesting, one of the dwarves had used the tree’s trunk as a walkway in order to face off against one of the Orcs, who was gigantic and pale compared to his kin. The Orcs encroaching on her gave Rayna no time to see more than that, hopping away from a rusty blade that struck the dirt where she’d been, lunging to try and snap the beast’s arm in half. It almost worked, the Orc cursing as blood began to stain its grey skin as another of its friends jumped forward to help fend her off. They continued this dance for a few moments, steel hitting dirt and rocks while Rayna drew blood and rage from her foes, waiting for the right moment. To even her surprise, it came in the form of giant eagles swooping down from the night sky and tossing wargs and Orcs aside like play things. Using a tiny bit of wind to slice her foes apart Rayna used the chaos to dart off and retake her hawk form again, circling again as the dwarves, hobbit and wizard were scooped up and away from the remaining Orcs and the now enraged pale one. His infuriated howls echoed into nothing as the firelight dimmed and vanished in the distance, Rayna focusing her eyes now on the Company. Many of them were evidently tired or injured, some a combination of both and it had her cringing at the thought her absence might be the cause. Pushing such an idea away, Rayna watched the eagles set the group down on the somewhat even surface of the Carrock, Gandalf rushing to one that had been set down gently and had yet to rise. Even from her spot in the sky she could feel the use of healing magic that awoke the fallen dwarf only to yell angrily at the hobbit. Rayna had no idea what it was about, as the hug that came right after was confusing. Watching them for another moment before they began their descent, Rayna broke away to find as many healing herbs as possible, distantly glad for the many lessons from her cousin on the art.

Her foraging took most of the morning and almost well into the afternoon. She also made sure to fill her water pouch with as much of the cleanest water from the nearby river, knowing she would need it for both healing and tea. Certain the dwarves may not have found anything to eat Rayna managed to get at least five rabbits and two pheasants while she was busy collecting provisions. She didn’t bother with firewood, as that might have been collected anyway and if not, she could find some. It didn’t stop her from grabbing a particularly thick stick on her way to find the dwarves and their foolish wizard guide. After all, she had some choice words to go right along with it. Finding them took the better half of the remaining daylight as changing forms might cause Rayna to lose hold of her many procured items, though most were stuffed into her bag with the rest of her things. She’d organized everything well enough to be administered properly. As she predicted, Rayna found their meager camp, tired and lit by a fire only a few were bothering to sit by for the warmth. The rest were spread out and lying down, either simply tired or asleep. From the way Gandalf was huddled with the same dark-haired dwarf that had been injured the night before, Rayna had to assume he was the leader of the dwarves, the pair speaking in hushed tones. Though her ears could’ve picked up what they were speaking of if she wanted, Rayna decided to pay no mind to it. instead, she circled around so to be closer to the pair when she broke through the tree line, stepping into the dim light of the fire like a specter that got most of the dwarves jumping in shock. The young, dark-haired dwarf she recognized as Kili was staring along with the rest at her sudden appearance, his bow now slack in his hands. But Rayna ignored them all in favor of Gandalf, whose face had relaxed to smile happily at her, the elderly magus even standing up to greet here. “There you are my friend, I was—ouch!”

His affable greeting had been silenced by Rayna’s use of the stick on his head, making all nearby gape as the woman proceeded to shout along with her strikes. “You IDIOT! Scheming, harebrained, weed-high moron! Do you have any idea the kind of trials I’ve suffered just to be here for your clearly reckless little plan? Granted I’ve no friggin’ clue what it is but you’re gonna tell me once I beat some sense into that pickled brain of yours!”

“Peace, please!” Gandalf pleaded when she stopped, the elderly man frowning much like a child as he tried to placate the woman. “Now if you’d let me explain to you--!”

“Peace? Ha! Let’s see how peaceful you are after spending a fuckin’ month in a clay jar cursed with foul, foul black magic! See how ‘peaceful’ you are then!” Rayna snarled, pointing the stick in her hand at him as if it were her sword. “Only to discover that your moth—poor thing, fluttering around all this time—has been searching for me for two months now and forced me to spend a week, _a week!_ , trying to find you. Just in time to find someone had the oh-so-brilliant idea to go into a goblin-infested cave! Whose bright little inspiration was that?!”

“Rayna, please try to calm yourself. There is no need to be so hostile. You know I would not ask you to appear if it were not important.” The Grey Wizard responded with a patience those gathered found themselves respecting, as seeing the fury the newcomer had unleashed seemed far from diminished. More than a few glanced at Thorin about the cave part but didn’t dare speak up in case it made them a target.

Scoffing loudly, the brunette woman shook her head. “Important, he says. I’d hit him too if I didn’t already know he’s been beaten half to death thanks to those Orcs back there. Honestly, I’m surrounded by fools no matter where I go. It’s infuriating.” She muttered, her ice blue gaze falling on the dwarves with a disapproving glare. “And let me guess, no one’s eaten yet.”

“We are without provisions and none of us--.”

“Then lucky for you, fool dwarf, I’ve been so kind to find such things for you. Now which of you can still walk?” Rayna demanded, ignoring Thorin’s attempt to speak entirely but waiting for at least three of the dwarves to raise their hands. When they did, the woman began to speak again. “Good, you’re to look for more firewood if you don’t have any already. Which of you is the healer?”

“I am, but Bilbo here knows a thing or two about plants.” Oin responded in a slightly louder voice than usual, the lost of his earhorn having forced him to work harder to hear.

Rayna stared at the elderly dwarf for a second before nodding. “Another pair of hands, good. Take this and find what you need. Whoever’s the cook, I’ve got some rabbits and some bird so get to work. What we don’t have, can always be found.”

Bombur lumbered over to accept the strung-up game in order to begin his task while Bilbo moved to help Oin with Rayna’s bag. The elderly healer was already pulling out the ones he needed, giving the hobbit the ability to try and speak to their helper. “Um…miss?”

“What?” Rayna asked in a curt voice, mildly irritated the Halfling was hesitating.

Brown eyes stared unblinking as the hobbit licked his lip. “W-what are you exactly?”

“I’m a person, why?” the woman inquired, frowning at him.

“No, I mean, what race are you?”

Rayna only stared at him a moment before snatching up a handful of herbs Oin had spread out on the ground, holding them out to the hobbit. “Stir these two together with some water until it’s a poultice. It’s good for small cuts and burns. Make a list of who suffers what and we’ll go from there.”

“But--!”

“Focus on helping your friends, hobbit. Then we can decide if your questions are worth answering.”

Bilbo’s jaw snapped shut at that, he and the rest of the Company effectively silenced as the woman began her work. She rarely spoke unless to give orders, breaking away to help Bombur with his soup but careful not to touch anything as her hands were stained by blood more than a few times. All the dwarves soon discovered that in spite of her fierce voice and intense stare, Rayna’s hands were kind but steady, eyes unblinking in the face of past scars and present blood. The only time she flinched was seeing the long red lines from the goblin whips and claws that were scattered on Kili’s limbs and back, the dwarf doing his best not to stare at her as she examined the wounds now visible from under their stiff bandages. With a frown, Rayna finally let out a sigh. “This will take more than herbs and tea to fix. It will take time but less than normal for wounds like these.”

“Can you do it?” Fili asked, wary of just what his brother may have to endure just to get better. Seeing his only brother get hurt had been trying enough.

“Aye, I can. The cost can be substantial if one isn’t careful but I know enough to risk such a thing.” Rayna told him, pouring nearly all of the water in the pouch she’d brought into a bowl, already drawing on the amount of power she would need for her task.

“What do you mean?” the blonde dwarf almost demanded, his brow furrowed in curiosity at the woman’s strange actions.

“Wind is not my only power, dwarf. Be glad I know some of the best healers this Age could know.” Giving Kili a gentle poke, Rayna waited until the dark-haired prince turned his head enough to show he was listening. “No matter what you feel, you must remain as still as you can. Anything you do could cause pain and force me to start again. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Kili responded tiredly from where he sat on the blankets the others had donated so he could be comfortable during his treatment.

“I should hope so. Knowing you dwarves, you will expect scars but at least on your back I can get rid of the worst of them. The rest might fade with time.”

“Can you not do more?” Fili pressed, knowing that in dwarf culture, scars were usually proof of a warrior’s prowess and ability to survive battle. This however, was something he didn’t want to stain his brother’s skin until they died of old ago or some other misfortune.

“My knowledge is limited and what I plan to do is very advanced. I’ve done it on myself a few times when my own body’s magics aren’t enough so I’ve had plenty of practice.” Rayna muttered absently, ice blue eyes meeting sky blue when she noticed the blonde dwarf didn’t appear convinced. “Fear not, dwarf. Your kinsman will not suffer long after I finish.”

“Does he need to be upright for it?” the blonde pressed further.

“No but we must be careful of his limbs as I will need to see to them next. Any that I don’t get to should be covered in poultice and wrapped until I have the strength to do it.” the woman responded, more than willing to wait until Fili had finished helping Kili lie down as she went on. “Some of these aren’t as deep as they feel but that shall work to our advantage.”

The blonde dwarf stared at her, puzzlement clear on his face. “How do you know so much about this?”

Ignoring his question, Rayna stuck her hands into the bowl of water and willed the liquid to follow them out. Seeing Fili’s eyes pop would’ve been hilarious had she had the mind to look at the dwarf, once again speaking to Kili as she instructed. “Remain still.”

If Fili’s eyes were wide before, they all but popped out of his skull when by her will the water began to glow a light blue, the liquid meeting the dwarf’s flesh without breaking apart into a puddle. On the blankets, Kili stiffened under the caress of the glowing liquid, unable to keep quiet as he relaxed into the soft fabrics. “Oh! Ooh.”

“Kee, what’s wrong?” Fili demanded quietly, worried that something might be amiss.

“It’s really…cool.” Kili responded in a distant voice, almost as if he were drunk without the ale to make it possible. “It’s…nice.”

Fili scowled in bafflement. “Is that normal?”

“Quiet, I must focus.” Rayna grumbled at him, not looking away from her task.

The blonde dwarf remained silent as commanded, his mouth a thin line as his blue eyes watched intently, Rayna easily ignoring him. His gaze was nothing compared to the calculating looks from her teachers, able to focus on mending muscle and skin like one would a hole in their sleeve. Using the water clinging to her hands, the clear liquid glowing with the magic she let flow through it, Rayna didn’t stop until the last of the redness was gone. By the time her attention went to his limbs, the dark-haired dwarf was pliable, only grunting when she moved him to better access the wounds. Most of the damage was superficial, making her task all the easier but no more tiring as her earlier work had begun to weigh down on Rayna. Pulling back with a quiet sigh, she found the blonde dwarf had remained through it all, watching with an unreadable expression on his handsome face. Meeting the blonde’s gaze easily, Rayna spoke in a tired voice that matched how she felt. “He will be tired when he wakes, possibly sluggish. Be sure he drinks plenty of water and all of any food given to him. I may have fixed the wounds but I can’t do anything about blood loss. That will take time but he should recover fully over the next few days.”

“But his wounds are gone?” Fili asked, taking in the sight of his brother’s new skin, red and appearing inflamed but otherwise seamless. It was like weeks had become but an hour.

Rayna nodded, returning the water to the bowl so the worst of the filth on her hands went with it. “They are. Be sure he doesn’t try to scratch at where they were, as new skin can be rather uncomfortable at first. It’s his body’s way of saying that something is different and it doesn’t understand why. That will fade as well.” She said, glancing at the bowl prior to tossing the now murky water into the bushes. “What of you? I’m sure the soup is ready by now.”

Instead of answering the question, the blonde dwarf continued to stare at her from where he sat next to his sleeping brother. “Kili wondered about what had become of you, and what you looked like. I’m surprised you came at all.”

Fighting down a scoff, Rayna wiped her hands off on a pant leg, and not for the first time that night. “One doesn’t ignore the call of a wizard, no matter how stupid the man is. I don’t know what that old man is plotting but I think it’s bound to get each and every single one of you killed.”

“We’re trying to take back our home! Is that not a good reason?” the blonde protested.

“Home? I’ve never had one of those.” Rayna muttered half to herself, giving the dwarf a curious stare. “What was wrong with your old one?”

“It was not ours.” Fili responded, appearing thrown by the woman’s statement.

“Hm, still whatever’s going on here, I’m certain it’s wrought with stupidity.” Rayna told him, ignoring the way his jaw worked to protest. Getting to her feet, Rayna collected the bowl as she spoke. “Drink the tea that was made, as the herbs are meant for easing pain and aches. Eat what you can and get some sleep. You’re going to need the all your strength if you want to recover properly.”

Rayna made a few more rounds through the camp before finally coming to check on Thorin, the dwarf king having refused treatment from both Oin and Bilbo and now from her. His blue-grey eyes watched her a moment as he rumbled. “I must thank you for aiding my kin, and my nephews. Had we known of your abilities we would’ve asked you to stay.”

Shrugging at the praise, Rayna didn’t even blink. “What your nephew did was a kindness most would not bother with, just as I did for all of you in killing those trolls. What I do here is because Gandalf called for my aid, not you.” she told him, giving him an once-over before stating casually. “Get some rest and drink that tea. You hide your pain well but not from me.”

“Are you not going to perform your magic on me?” Thorin asked in mild puzzlement. He and the rest of the Company had tried and failed not to stare when she’d worked on Kili. The glow had been awe-inspiring, and if the woman had noticed, she gave no sign or simply didn’t care if they gaped like fish.

“Why should I, when a hobbit’s hands can do much better?” Rayna countered easily.

“He does not have magic!” Thorin protested, wondering just what the woman meant.

“No, but he has knowledge, and a bid to your heart.”

Thorin’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull, his brain struggling to comprehend what she’d just said. “How can you--?!”

“I’m very observant, stupid dwarf. It would seem you’re clearly not.” The woman told him with a mild tone, moving away to check on the kettle hanging over the fire. “If need be, I will tend to your woes in the morning. For now, rest.”

The dwarf king was silent for the rest of the evening, stewing in his quiet irritation at being caught. When or how the woman had noticed him paying Bilbo more attention than he had before was unknown to him but if she noticed, no doubt the rest of the Company had. If he hoped to undo all the damage he’d done, he would have to be more careful. Sighing past the silent agony in his ribs, Thorin leaned back against the tree where he’d settled and fell asleep.

\----

Upon waking the next morning, more than one person was thrown that Rayna was nowhere to be found, their fears alleviated by the knowledge Gandalf imparted that the woman had left to find more herbs and food for them to use. He also said she’d find them no matter where they went so leaving without her was not an issue. Thorin merely grunted and ordered everyone up to begin the day’s trek through the woods. Kili was reluctant to get up, the dark-haired prince lacking his usual carefree energy and moved with a sluggish step. Helping his brother to his feet, Fili was surprised at the accuracy of Rayna’s prediction. More than once he glared at Fili when the older blonde swatted his hand away from digging his nails into where his wounds had been, having to remind the younger of the woman’s warning. After a while, Kili fidgeted instead, greatly displeased with his situation with every step he took to their next camp site. The itching had greatly subsided by the time they settled in, Gloin happily creating a bit fire for everyone to enjoy as the night drew closer. Most had fallen into a calm lull of near serenity until a shout from a very surprised Bifur got everyone back in the waking world just to curse aloud themselves: larger than a small house, a wolf with silver-grey fur had come padding into the clearing they’d found with no fear of the fire or the weapons they had in hand. To their growing surprise, Gandalf looked to the beast with a kind smile. “So nice of you to return, as I predicted.”

As if in response, the wolf turned its large head to face the wizard, its form rippling just prior to growing smaller and almost turning purely white. Color returned as limbs got shorter, torso smaller and figure overall human. In less than a minute, Rayna stood before them with two large rucksacks in her hands, ice blue eyes narrowed irritably. “You’re just lucky I still have a few caches out here, old man. Otherwise I’d have to find a village or go into that stinking mountain.”

“Any luck, good as you have, would be tested greatly if you did the latter instead of the former.” Gandalf remarked.

“Just means I’m smart not to go into a cave that is obviously a trap.” Rayna said in a biting tone, either not noticing or ignoring Thorin’s wince at being called a fool. Finding the golden curls amidst the rough-looking dwarves, Rayna was pulling a smaller bag out of one of the larger ones to hand over. “Hobbit, use these for more tea while I help with dinner. There’s a kettle in there so feel free to use it.”

“I have a name and I’d like it very much--.” Bilbo started to protest.

“The chances of that grow slimmer the more you delay.” The woman responded easily, holding up a water pouch for him to see. “Water fresh from a small river, and as clean as I could get it. Start boiling it if you want your friends to rest easy tonight.”

“Now see here--!” the hobbit growled in growing ire, eyes growing dark as he glared, a hand going to the hilt of his short sword.

Watching the hobbit in a calm fashion, the woman didn’t seem moved by his display of irritation. “Do you even know how to use that? Or do you just have it to help you be manly?”

“That is enough! You will be kind and polite or must I be forced to run you through?”

“There’s something you don’t see every day: a hobbit with a temper. Are you going to stomp your feet while you’re at it?”

Properly incensed now, Bilbo looked ready to explode as his grip abandoned the hilt of his sword in favor of becoming a fist. Mid-swing, Rayna caught it and twisted the hobbit’s arm until he cried out. “Ah! Ow!”

“Were I a true enemy, you would be dead.” The brunette woman told him as she let him go, ice blue eyes boring into him like a pair of daggers. “And were I truly the cruel person you think me to be, I’d have done it.”

“That is still no excuse to be rude to people who could be your friends.” Bilbo said in a biting voice.

“My friends are dead.” Rayna told him in a cool tone, ignoring how nearly everyone stared at her as if she’d grown a second head. Putting the smaller bag in the hobbit’s grip, Rayna went on. “Fix the tea and be sure everyone gets some. They’ll need it for any residual pain.”

Bilbo’s jaw worked as he glanced between the woman and the bag of herbs, unable to do anything but stand in silence as she turned right around and walked right back into the tree line without a word. Chuckling lightly, Gandalf earned everyone’s attention when he filled the quiet with a sad smile. “You must forgive Rayna. She is as blunt as I recall her last so that is no surprise, at least to me. Aside from that, you will find it will take more than a stern word to sway her on anything.”

“Is that why she hit you with a stick?” Nori asked, more baffled than amused by the memory of just the night before.

Gandalf winced, possibly since his head still ached from being struck. “Her upbringing leaves very little room for error, as such mistakes lead to great failure or death in one form or another. It would seem such an ideology remains strong in her thinking.” He explained, smiling kindly as he continued. “Hence, my ‘punishment’ through a brief bludgeoning to the scalp, as anything less is insufficient in her mind. I assure you, were she truly in a mood, she would’ve dealt much worse.”

The idea a wizard of Gandalf’s reputation could be done in by a woman, no matter how mysterious earned the elderly magus more than a few stares. “Like what?”

“Well she….”

Somehow Rayna must’ve come back for her voice sounded off from the opposite end of the camp, her tone low and infuriated. “When were you going to tell me you had a fractured arm?! I swear my godchildren get into less trouble than you lot and the youngest is eleven. Eleven! Grown men, can’t even take care of themselves. What a disgrace!”

“It’s not that--.” Dori tried to protest, the white-bearded dwarf having wilted under the woman’s loud scolding.

“Don’t give me any excuses, no matter how flimsy! A fracture can lead to a break or worse, an infection in the marrow itself. Get that and I’d have to drag you to my cousin in Minas Tirith to cut you open and get it out.” Rayna snapped, causing the eldest of the Ri brothers to stare in horror. He seemed ready to protest when Rayna pulled at the bandage a bit too hard, making him wince and cry out. “Ow! That hurts!”

“As it should!” the woman scolded, tone leaving no room to argue. “We’ll need to splint it up and get you a sling. You do not use this arm until I say, understand?”

“Yes.” The white-haired dwarf said in a defeated voice. “Good, otherwise I might have to just lop your arm off to keep you from dying horribly.”

“That’s a bit much don’t you think?!” Gloin pointed out from nearby, where he sat against a rock with a bandage on his head.

“Depends, would you rather your friend keep it and die in agony or lose it and live?” Rayna shot back at the red-haired dwarf, earning silence. Looking back at Dori, her ice blue eyes dared him to protest. “I’ll check on it in a week see if it’s better by then.”

“Alright.”

For whatever reason, Nori decided it was time to give Rayna something new to think about and give his older brother some room, speaking up. “What about our brother? We think one of the clubs may have done more than he says.”

It definitely got the woman’s attention for she was kneeling before Ori in a second, her hands moving over the young dwarf’s skull with gingerly touches. Most of the camp was silent as they dared not say anything. They had been through enough already, and the idea one of their own might die was scary even to dwarves. Many let out a sigh of relief when Rayna’s voice filled the quiet in a bored tone. “Drink plenty of the tea given to you and try to remain awake. A wound like yours is dangerous. At least there doesn’t seem to be much pressure or else I’d be more concerned. I’ll have to check on you every few hours just to be safe.”

“We can do that.” Nori responded with a shaky nod, clearly glad the youngest of their number wasn’t about to fall over dead because they’d believed nothing was amiss.

“Call on me if you can’t wake him or you think he is getting worse.” Rayna instructed, earning more eager nods prior to approaching where Thorin had decided to seat himself. “And now you remain, stupid dwarf. As I am available, I might as well check the hobbit’s work.”

“I am fine. Tend to my kin as you have and leave me be.” Thorin grumbled at her with a faint glower.

Rayna merely glared right back. “Warg shit. Either you let me do my task or I drag you off anyway.”

Thorin gritted his teeth, hating to show weakness or to be carted off like a half-dead corpse in front of his own men, gave a begrudging nod. “Fine, but Bilbo comes too. He is my healer in this.”

“Lead on.” The woman returned calmly, not at all bothered by the somewhat awkward movements of either male, Bilbo trying not to walk too quickly and Thorin not too slowly. As expected, the hobbit was nervous and the dwarf was in silent agony, proven when said hobbit got said dwarf’s armor and tunic off before unwinding the bandages. Looking at the many bruises and punctures with a keen eye, Rayna found she had very little to say. “I see why your dwarf healer likes your companion so much. This is actually somewhat better than anything I could’ve done.”

Both males stared at her, astonished by the lack of curt words or insults. Most of all Bilbo who’d expected to get into yet another argument but found himself squeaking. “Really?”

The woman nodded slowly, not looking away from the dry poultice covering nearly everything, feeling with gentle hands for broken bones. She had to fight down a wince at finding only a few were fractured, and none of them light. “Shorter arms or not, this is sufficient for what he’s sustained.” Glancing up at Thorin’s face, Rayna continued. “Your armor kept any fangs from getting lodged in the wounds so that’s a blessing. But your ribs will need time however, and bones aren’t within my capability to fix. Binding them tight and making sure he rests often is the best we can do about that.”

“And the rest?” Bilbo asked, eager to know what should be done. The most he knew of healing was from the rare scrapped knee and his family’s books. To have to actually perform them in the field was harrowing enough.

“The tea I’m having you make, along with that one leaf you can chew should be good enough for the pain. I can deal with these punctures but everything else must mend on their own.” Rayna told him, taking in each puncture both on Thorin’s chest and back as she calmly instructed. “Fetch that bowl of water by the fire, try not to spill any.”

Bilbo scurried out of the bushes and out of sight, the hobbit presenting the bowl and its contents, unable to hold back the question. “Is this what you did for Kili?”

“Yes, if on a smaller scale. They will itch so try not to touch them, or they’ll start to bleed no differently than any other scratch.” Rayna warned them both, distantly glad she’d already taken off her gloves as the power began to flow into her hands.

Neither male said anything as the woman began to work each of the aching holes in Thorin’s flesh, Thorin finding the feel of cool water almost literally washing his gashes away rather soothing. “That explains why he’s been acting so agitated for most of the day. It is very difficult for my nephew to remain still for very long.”

“I have to check on him next so the worst might be over for him.” the brunette woman muttered, making quick work of the smallest wounds prior to focusing on the larger ones.

When she finished, Bilbo found another question had come to mind. “How is it you can argue with me one minute but be kind the next? I don’t understand.”

Rayna stared at him, just as baffled. “Your argument was not valid, but your work on your friend is. How is that hard to understand?” she asked, getting the water back into the bowl to dump the soiled liquid into the dark.

“All I asked is that you use my name, not ‘hobbit’. Treating me like I am beneath you will only garner more arguments.” Bilbo countered with a frown, seeming to forget they stood in the brush with a third person nearby to overhear everything.

“Are you a thief?” Rayna inquired suddenly.

Blinking, the hobbit frowned deeper. “No.”

“Are you a murderer?”

“Heavens no!” he protested with a horrified squeak.

“Then you are not beneath me. You are equal to me. Whether I use your name or not is irrelevant. You certainly haven’t used mine yet.” The woman responded evenly, turning back to Thorin with a calm voice. “Drink the tea, chew the herb, don’t move around so much and you won’t suffer.”

Both men watched her get up and walk away, heading over to check on Fili and Kili as promised. The younger of the princes appeared relieved to have some upcoming liberation for his burning skin if to keep his brother from hitting him again. Seeing Fili’s expression clear up when assured his brother’s condition was truly better, Thorin lead the way out of the brush with his tunic back on to greet the wizard. “She is…abrupt.”

Gandalf chuckled. “She is honest, loyal and very difficult to please in terms of respect and courtesy. Once you have her on your side however, you must do something truly terrible in order to send her away forever. Do not take her actions too seriously. For Rayna, this is likely the most interaction with other beings she’s had in years.”

“What about the jar?” the dwarf king asked, curious to know if the clay vessel his nephew had destroyed had some kind of ancient origin.

At that, the wizard frowned distantly. “From what she’s said, possibly a recent innovation though how anyone could find one such as her so easily is hard to fathom. She and the rest of her kind have a tendency to be rather elusive. Many people have misinterpreted exactly what she is and reacted very poorly as a result. Hence why she is curt and does not remain for longer than necessary. I imagine once she sees all is well, Rayna will depart, likely for none of us to ever see her again.”

“Not even you?” Thorin pressed, astonished by this information.

Gandalf nodded, his expression solemn. “Possibly, as Rayna is a magical being the likes of which my abilities can only hope to match, even by a small margin. She may seem rude but see her only as willful but focused. It has gotten her through many a trial over the decades.”

“Speaking of trials, just what is it the Grey Wanderer is meddling in this time?” Rayna’s voice cut in suddenly, nearly making Thorin jump and wince as his pains grew in volume.

Patient as ever, Gandalf sighed heavily and easily responded. “I am not meddling, I am merely putting certain events in motion so to right a past wrong that has gone unanswered for long enough. Only hear me out and know that I speak the truth.”

Brow arching at the honest plea, ice blue eyes stared unblinking. “I’m listening.”

The wizard didn’t hesitate to begin the already fantastic tale detailing how they’d come to their present location and poor condition, Rayna never once speaking or raising a question until the elderly magus finished with another sigh. “And now, here we stand. What say you on the matter?”

At this point, the whole camp had fallen silent, the Company watching and waiting for their latest helper’s potential response. The resulting shout made them all wince. “Have you lost your friggin’ mind!?” Rayna demanded, her voice coming forth loud and furious as she glared at the wizard, obviously enraged. “Forty years, you wait. Forty years you spend moving around doing Valar knows what, and the one thing you could possibly ask of me is to what? Head right for a dragon’s flame?!”

“Not personally, only assist us in reaching the mountain before the needed time. That is all.” Gandalf reasoned patiently, though he seemed rightfully abashed at being scolded.

“It’s still madness. It’s still foolish, hasty and lacking in so many things I want to scream it to the stars!” the woman continued to seethe, furious. “It wasn’t even fifty years ago you tried to get me to go there and see if the damn thing was even still alive and now this?! You aid these dwarves to their doom!”

“Only to be certain the beast even still resided there! Now time is short and action must be taken in order to reclaim--.”

“Reclaim? What exactly? A tomb full of corpses covered in the ash of others that fell to that sky demon’s attack? Or the gold that foul beast sleeps upon?”

“The gold is a minor prize next to the city that once housed my family and my people! I seek my home, one I can no longer allow to be in the claws of my foe.” Thorin cut in, his own voice a tad louder and deeper than usual from the use of his well-trained royal tone.

Ice blue met blue-grey, narrowed and calculating. “Well, well…a dwarf that cares for something other than his riches. Do you even have a plan to even enter the mountain? Last I heard it was locked up tight.”

“We have a way. That is all I’m going to speak of to you.” the dwarf king responded, meeting the stare with a harsher one.

“As you wish. Either way, you still have many obstacles to traverse.” Rayna muttered with a sigh, rubbing at a temple as though suddenly pained by a headache. “Azog is certainly one of them.”

“You know that beast’s name?!” Dwalin suddenly exclaimed, the warrior dwarf sounding at the very least marginally impressed.

“I wouldn’t have these scars on my face if I didn’t. Lucky for me, my friends and I didn’t give him a chance to defile anything, as he so enjoys.” The woman spat at him, calming so to face the wizard again. “As it is by your word that I’m here, Gandalf, I see your ridiculous plea as valid.”

“Good, so then--!” said wizard began with a cheered demeanor.

Rayna’s cool tone silenced him. “However, my aid extends to Laketown, on the waters of Esgaroth. After that, is up to the fates.” She said, ignoring how the wizard before her almost appeared to pout. “Unlike some people, I’m smart enough to know when my chances are slim against something like a bloody dragon. In the meantime, getting you there is my concern.”

Possibly realizing he wouldn’t be able to sway her, Gandalf nodded his defeat. “When was the last time you were here?”

“At least a decade and it doesn’t appear much has changed. I will return in a day or so with more provisions and confirmation of my knowledge.”

“Wait!” someone called out when she turned on her heel, probably Kili but it was hard to tell since most of the dwarves sounded alike.

Rayna wasn’t listening, already halfway through the bushes and into the dark when, for them, she ceased to exist entirely. Complaints weren’t going to get her to stay. The next day was spent as intended, seeking out edible plants and game, making sure they would survive the trip back to wherever the dwarves would be settling for the night. Looking over the broad and open landscape, satisfaction rose slowly at how little had changed, though some trees were taller and various plants had moved to different spots with the wind. There was even a flower or two that she spent maybe a minute or five examining, often liking their color and simple beauty before moving on. Turning her gaze north, Rayna frowned, not wanting to recall fire, swords and screams at the moment when looking at the lush grassland that lay there. A sparrow darting through the air just over her head was distraction enough, and Rayna was able to work well into the afternoon in peace. On her way back, pack laden with meat and herbs, Rayna’s nose twitched with the familiar stink of wargs. _They’re getting closer…if Gandalf has a plan, he better get a move on and fast._ The woman didn’t give the beasts another moment’s though, moving with purpose and a long stride. Nearly every alarm in her head was going off as the scent on the wind got worse instead of fading like most stenches were meant to. Hearing the deep barks of said foul beasts didn’t help either, causing Rayna to throw her pack off and into a bush for later as she darted forward towards the sound. Coming over the rise, Rayna’s keen vision picked out the moving shapes amidst all the trees and brush, easily estimating there wasn’t enough room to get to them quickly. For that, she turned to her bow. Much like that of elves and men, her people had become adept at making their skills in archery bear both the stopping power as well as the silence needed for going unnoticed until one’s enemy no longer had the chance to react. Such was what she needed now when she notched an arrow, the pale fletching of goose feather soft against her cheek as the brunette woman took aim…and let it fly.

\----

Bilbo had been trying to run as fast as his burning muscles and gasping lungs would allow him to, not daring look back in case the mouth of a warg filled his sight. Around him the dwarves were pumping their legs just as hard to get away from the beasts literally hounding after them with their simple-minded determination. They had been hiding in-between some tall rocks when the roar of a rather unnatural bear had driven them out at Gandalf’s almost panicked command only to find the wargs and Orcs weren’t far behind. Seeing another of the wolf-like creatures again had Bilbo’s heart jumping in his chest, the riderless beasts closing in with long-legged strides and very little to stop them. A faint whistling teased at the hobbit’s ear, followed by a dull thud with a subsequent yelp. Daring to look back, Bilbo’s brown eyes took in the cloud of dust surrounding a fallen warg’s body, its fellows already hurrying to avoid the corpse to catch up with their prey. Bilbo nearly tripped when another arrow, pale wood and feather appeared in yet another warg that tried to lead the way, the force behind the projectile making it trip and tumble in a heap. When a third fell with a high-pitched squeal of pain, a shout in Black Speech got the horde of slobbering animals to bank away from their initial prey. In a scurry of padded feet and dust, the pack returned to the inner shadows of the woods, barking angrily. Their barks were answered by a loud roar that made Bilbo’s blood nearly freeze, the distance filling with more barking, yelps and howls so terrible he actually ran faster. The only one who ran faster than everyone was surprisingly Bombur, the rotund dwarf all but beating everyone to the house settled within tall walls and trees. They all breathed easier once the massive bear left and the door was locked, Gandalf bidding them to get some rest. Given all that happened, not even Thorin could find it in him to argue.

Assured they wouldn’t be forced to leave and could truly relax, most were quick to find spots in the large house to settle into. Before sleep claimed them all, Ori voiced the question that was on each of their minds. “Gandalf, what was that roar just a moment ago? It was not the bear, and you made no mention of a mate for him.”

Gandalf’s amused chuckle filled the room. “No, that was Rayna. She can be a force of her own when the moment calls her to.”

“Will she remain out there?” the warrior-scribe asked, sounding perfectly astonished.

“Possibly. I know not how many of her kind there are but she herself is accustomed to solitude. Time will tell us if her presence will join ours or not.” The elderly magus responded in a sad tone, regret heavy in them.

The Company remained silent on the matter for the rest of the evening, falling asleep where they fell as night came over the land outside. Hours passed and Bilbo couldn’t get himself to join his fellow adventurers in slumber, his hand on the golden bauble in his coat pocket. The grasshoppers were a quiet symphony out in the grass, feeling someone’s eyes on him amidst the shadows of the house. Looking over, the hobbit fought not to blink when he saw Thorin’s blue-grey orbs gazing right back at him from one of the windows. Knowing by now that sleep was beyond him, Bilbo tossed away the blanket covering his legs to tiptoe through the small sea of bodies. Upon reaching the dwarf king, Bilbo settled himself just opposite the man to whisper softly. “Should you not be sleeping? Your wounds need as much rest as you do.”

“My thoughts keep me from sleep, not my wounds.” Thorin said in a quiet voice, also careful not to disturb their slumbering fellows.

“Hm. What about?” Bilbo asked, curious about the ponderings of the dwarf king.

“My kin, Gandalf, and that woman Rayna.” The raven-haired dwarf muttered, his blue-grey eyes pinning Bilbo to the spot when he added softly. “You.”

The hobbit felt his ears grow hot, hoping the blush wasn’t visible on his face as he gave the dwarf king an amazed stare. “Me?”

Hesitating, Thorin’s normally stern face turned into a frown. “I admit I was…skeptical of you but now I see my error. What I said…I know will take more than words to take back. Understand that my focus must be on the Company and our goal of reaching the mountain. That includes you now, as it should’ve been from the start.”

At that, Bilbo nearly burst into laughter that came out as quiet chuckles. “Thorin, if anyone was in doubt, it was me. I doubted I could be of use on this venture and have the courage to act when you needed me most. Granted my aid to you on the cliff was done mostly in rage and fear but…I suppose we both needed to get over our assumptions.”

“I see. No matter what you say, you do have courage Bilbo Baggins. More than you believe.” Thorin told him, making Bilbo stare and nearly gape. The man sounded so sure of his words that the hobbit was certain he was exaggerating.

Bilbo’s response was silenced by the sound of the door opening and a tall figure walking in, his stature backlit by moonlight. The man was introduced as Beorn, their host come morning, treating them all to a hearty breakfast of bread, mead and honey. He bid them to stay until they were properly rested in order to begin the next leg of their journey, promising provisions and ponies to ferry them to Mirkwood. Thorin decided to give everyone at least a week at the skin-changer’s house, wanting to try and take advantage of the lull in order to get things back in order once more. It was late afternoon on the second day there when Ori, who had decided to enjoy the sunshine and warm air to get through the many pages of his journal since falling into Goblin Town when a rustling in the grass distracted the red-haired scribe. Baffled, as he knew most of Beorn’s livestock were within the tall walls or the barn, Ori glanced around for the source. The patch he spotted moving was a very lofty in size and hid the creature from view. A bit panicked that it might be a snake, the red-haired scribe worked his slingshot and a stone out of his pockets and readied both to strike at whatever might be lurking in the grass. Though it had been over a day since they’d been chased through the woods by wargs and their Orc masters, the last thing Ori wanted was to be struck down by a poisonous creature. His brothers were already in a tiff that he’d gotten clubbed and didn’t tell anyone.

Taking careful aim at the patch of tall grass, Ori waited until the beast within stopped moving to fire away, the stone flying fast and true. Less than a second later, a loud yelp nearly made the scribe jump, a large silver-furred wolf bounding into the open. Glaring at him as only a wolf could do, teeth bared and ears back, Ori was thrown off when it spoke in a deep voice that sounded oddly familiar. “Ow! Hit me!”

It took him a second for him to realize just whose voice it was, the scribe’s voice coming out softly in his astonishment. “R-Rayna?”

“Hit me! Why?” the wolf demanded, still glaring with a mixture of irritation and hurt.

“I-I’m sorry, I…I thought…oh dear.” Ori muttered aloud as he stuffed his slingshot away back into his robe pocket, giving the wolf an apologetic frown. “How bad is it?”

The beast sat down, using a paw to rub at its snout, the dwarf finding it odd how she could speak without actually using her mouth. “Hurts.”

“Oh I’m so sorry, I thought you might be a snake and my brothers are worried enough as it is…are you alright?”

“Not snake. Can become one, but not snake.” Rayna told him in a faintly petulant voice.

“Yes, I see that now.” Ori said, regret becoming puzzlement now that he knew she wasn’t going to kill him. “Why are you speaking that way?”

Ice blue orbs blinked at the question, the answer coming easily enough. “Beast mind not fit for speech. Good for food, hunt. Speech, not much.”

“Oh.” The dwarf responded lamely. “Where have you been?”

“Scout.” She returned curtly, ears perking up at seeing the tome on the ground. “Book?”

Jumping at the question, Ori chuckled bashfully. “Y-yes, I am the scribe for the Company since…well, you know.”

The wolf’s head tilted, obviously puzzled. “Not fighter?”

Ori shook his head, not denying his lacking skills in war. “My brothers do it plenty and I never had a stomach for it. I’m odd in that regard. At any rate, my brothers are glad I don’t endanger myself very much, as they worry enough as it is.”

“Good shot though.”

“Thank you, even if I didn’t mean to hurt you.” the scribe told her with a smile, only to realize something. “I’m surprised you’re being kind to me, given you are curt with Thorin and the others.”

“They brutes, you scholar. I am mix of both.” Rayna said absently.

Ori frowned. “What about Bilbo?”

“Hobbit?” the wolf asked, and the dwarf nodded. “Conflicted. Respect, but conflicted.”

“He might like that you said that.” Ori said with a small grin.

Rayna huffed, unconvinced. “Perhaps.”

“Why are you…as you are?”

“Tired. Bad idea to change when tired.” At that, Ori felt awkward all of a sudden and not just over the fact he was having a conversation with a talking wolf. “The grass here is nice, if you wanted to stay.” He said a tad nervously, uncertain how the shape-shifting woman would take the offer.

“Show me book?” Rayna asked, sounding hopeful.

“Of course!” Ori chirped, happy that not only was he not about to be eaten, but someone other than Bilbo would appreciate his work. Rayna gave him praise on his sketches now and again that made him blush. Hours passed this way, the rest of the company too busy in their own tomfoolery to come investigate what one of the youngest of their number was doing. By nightfall, Ori had fallen silent and had filled in the next couple of pages with their latest ordeals in the usual flourish of detail. His yawn didn’t go unnoticed by his companion, the grey wolf rising first only to have its form ripple so that it grew in size. Scrambling to keep hold of his book as a cold nose rustled his hair and sharp teeth took gentle hold of his tunic, the scribe nearly putting a hand over his mouth to keep from squeaking when he was lifted off the ground. Being held above the ground was a little nerve-wracking but Ori endured as the giant wolf padded towards the doors at a leisurely pace. He saw firsthand how the other dwarves turned and gaped like fish, more than one cursing in shock at seeing the large beast carrying one of their number around like a cub. She set him down once they were well inside, ice blue orbs searching the gathered faces only to have an ear twitch.

“Thorin gone. Where?” she asked, earning more open-mouthed stares.

“He’s in the forge. Has been all day.” Dwalin responded, the warrior dwarf having overcome his astonishment sooner than the rest.

Rayna huffed. “Idiot.” She stated, turning her gaze down to Ori. “Wake up for food?”

“Of course.” The scribe told her, earning a nod from the wolf. Satisfied, the silver-grey beast padded to the side to find an empty stall. One of the large cows stepped away, possibly out of courtesy or instinct they had no idea. The beast didn’t really react when the larger wolf lay down in the hay nearby, slowly moving back once she shut her eyes. Everyone eventually went back to their previous tasks. Ori woke her for dinner as he promised, the large silver-grey beast raising its large head to accept the bowl of food. Most of it was consumed in one bite, what remained gone with the second, any crumbs left for the mice. Thorin did return later that evening, the forge having covered the dwarf king in soot and grime. He ate his share of dinner in silence before trudging over to where he normally slept only for his boot to come across something in the dark. He knew not what it was until his boot came down on it, realizing too late it was a tail, especially with the howl that came from the blunder.

“Ow, ow, ow! Off!” the wolf growled at him, ice blue eyes flashing in the dimness of the room, voice kicking more than a few people awake.

So startled by it, Thorin nearly stumbled and fell, cursing. “Mahal’s beard!”

“What happened?” Gandalf demanded, the elderly wizard hoping to avoid a fight that might be brewing.

Lips curled to reveal sharp white teeth, the wolf was not on her feet and had her tail well away from the dwarf king’s heavy feet. “Stepped on me! Thoughtless brute!”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it, Rayna.” The wizard told her patiently.

“Hmph!” Rayna scoffed, hardly appeased though she put her fangs away. “Have to scout anyway.”

Thorin had to jump out of the way to avoid being stepped on in turn, Gandalf giving the departing creature a worried look. “Should you not stay longer? You were out for quite a while.”

“Later. And no stomping boots next time!” Rayna growled back as she slipped out the doors and into the dark, no crunch of the grass betraying her departure. Rushing to the doors, all those awake found nothing but empty land.

None of them saw her again until the next morning, when they saw the large wolf once again where she’d settled the night before, ear twitching on occasion in her sleep. Actually seeing her sleep, even in another form, finally gave the Company proof their guide had limits same as them. Proof that came with the chilling horror of seeing blood, dark, stiff and sticky on the beast’s silken furs. So disturbed by it, Bilbo almost stepped on her tail for the exact purpose of waking her in order to shout right into her sleep-filled face. “Hypocrite! When were you going to tell one of us you were hurt?”

“Hurt?” the wolf asked blearily, ice blue orbs finding the smudge of dark blood that Bilbo was pointing at on her shoulder. “Oh, Orc blood.”

“And this?” he asked, pointing to the splotch nearly covering her right shoulder and leg.

“Warg.” She responded after a few seconds of struggling to recollect.

“What about this, on your feet?” the hobbit persisted.

Looking at her darkened paws, Rayna met Bilbo’s dark gaze. “Both.”

Frown deepening, the hobbit didn’t relent as he spotted one of her hind legs in a bandage that hadn’t been there before. “What’s wrong with that leg?”

“Sprain.” Bilbo nearly burst a vessel at the notion, his protective nature kicking in with a low growl of irritation. “And you didn’t tell anyone!?”

“Dealt with it.” Rayna said casually, making the hobbit grit his teeth.

“Change back, this instant.”

The wolf stiffened, ears twitching. “Bad idea.”

“And why is that?” he demanded, put out.

“Bad idea.” She repeated, not budging.

“Be specific!” Bilbo snapped.

Taking pity on the irate hobbit, Gandalf chose that moment to cut in. “What she means to say is, for a shifter to change form while tired or injured could lead to complications that one would not normally face. Either ailment could lead to making it worse or even unending sleep, possibly death.”

“Bad idea.” Rayna agreed. Defeated, Bilbo let out an explosive sigh. “Fine. Have you at least eaten yet?”

“Yes Rayna, have one of my chickens gone missing again?” Beorn rumbled from a corner of the house, a smirk on his bearded face.

“One time!” The wolf snapped indignantly, earning a booming laugh from the skin-changer before answering the question. “Fish, a rabbit. No chickens!” she added with a shout only to earn more laughter from the man.

“I believe you.” the hulking man responded through his chuckles.

“Sure you do.” Rayna grumbled, turning her attention back to the now calm hobbit, waiting until most weren’t paying attention to say. “Strong heart.”

“What?” the hobbit asked, eyes wide as he stared at her in shock.

Were she human, Rayna would’ve smiled at him. Instead she went on with a practiced tone. “Good match for stupid king.”

The hobbit stiffened. “You’re imagining things!” he said, a bit too quickly.

Ice blue eyes pinned the hobbit to the spot, the woman’s voice coming through clear and unhindered by her beastly mind when she asked. “Have I lied to you?” Bilbo found he couldn’t respond, too stunned by the insight even when the large wolf curled back up to sleep again, ignoring all else completely.

\----

The week passed quickly, falling into an odd routine of Rayna and Beorn fading into the night while the dwarves, hobbit and wizard regained their strength. They saw their massive host more than their intended guide but by now they expected no less. Any food left for her was gone and the woman in question fast asleep in the same spot no matter the hour. There was a rare moment or two they glimpsed her in human form, talking to Gandalf before vanishing again, but always reappeared in wolf form, fast asleep. Finally, Thorin decided he’d had enough, poking the silver beast into waking so to glare at her. “I wish to speak with you.”

“About?” came her distant voice, ice blue eyes just barely focused on him.

Willing himself to have some patience, Thorin explained. “Where the Orcs are, how clear the path is ahead of us. And why you sleep in this form?”

The large eyes blinked and narrowed, obviously confused. “Not Gandalf?”

“He remains here, with us. You certainly know more than him on the matter.” The dwarf king pressed, irritation flaring.

“Orcs fear Beorn, so they stay away. Azog left, no clue why.” Thorin stiffened at her words, surprised to hear his foe and rival had actually left the area for reasons unknown.

“You’re certain?”

“Scent faded and not among packs hunted over past few days.” Rayna confirmed, wanting to go back to sleep already.

“And the path to the forest?” Thorin pressed, insistent.

“Unguarded, for now.” The wolf responded, turning her head away so to shut her eyes against the hard stare he was giving. “Long trip tomorrow.”

“You did not answer my last question.”

“Don’t have to.” Rayna told him, opening one eye to meet the king’s stare. “I do this for Gandalf, not you.”

Thorin frowned, puzzled. “Even if you’re technically doing it for me either way?”

“Semantics.” The wolf muttered, yawning. “Go sleep, stupid king.”

“I still have questions!” the dwarf king growled low so not to wake anyone.

“And I’ll not give answers.” Rayna snarled right back, annoyed now. “Go to sleep.”

Expression becoming like granite, Thorin gave her the darkest glare he could. “Not until you tell me where you go. What you do.”

Rayna’s eyes opened fully at the command, the large beast gazing at the king with ice blue orbs full of a distance that had him shivering.“Memories.” She said in an equally distant voice, clear and oddly serene. Thorin was left in his awe when the large creature curled back up and its breathing slowed.

Thorin didn’t speak, as he couldn’t find it in himself to protest. Defeated, the dwarf king found his bedroll in the dark and went to sleep himself.

\----

Riding on the ponies leant to them by Beorn, Thorin and his Company made it to the edges of Mirkwood forest in a half a day’s time. Rayna’s prediction of the grasslands being free of Orcs rang true, all stopping by the Forest Road’s gate to dismount and collect their gear off the backs of their steeds. Having flown overhead in her hawk form, Rayna came back down to earth and ignored the open stares she got. Instead she focused on Gandalf. “The road ahead is clear and I doubt any Orc in his right mind would go in there.”

“Just as well. I shall have a look.” The wizard muttered aloud as he dismounted, heading for the beginning of the road and its shadowed entrance.

Not giving the aged magi so much as a glance, Rayna’s focus seemed more intent on the forest itself instead of the road leading into it. As the dwarves got their many packs in order and off the ponies, Bilbo dared approach the woman with a concerned stare. “Are you well, Miss Rayna?”

Ice blue orbs met warm brown, amusement flashing in their depths before vanishing again as they fell on the trees just yards away. “Do I look like a ‘Miss’ to you?”

“Sorry but…you seem on edge.” The hobbit observed, gentle in his probing.

Rayna frowned, unable to deny the somber feeling that was trying to drag her down. _And I haven’t even gone in yet._ “This forest has become darker since I was last here. That is not a good sign.”

Bilbo turned to gaze at the forest, his normally friendly expression marred by wariness for the place before them. “It does look…sick.”

“That’s because it is.” The woman remarked, making the hobbit whip back around in shock, turning pale when she continued. “A darkness chokes the life from it, turning this once pure place foul with its accursed magic.”

“There is nothing you can do?” Ori cut in, the red-haired scribe having wandered over mostly out of curiosity to why the pair were getting along so well.

Wincing at the young dwarf’s question, Rayna could only shake her head. “No, these shadows are strong. Were I to fight them, I’d die before I could really try.”

“It doesn’t look that dark in there.” Bofur muttered aloud as the toymaker also wandered over, his mustached face caught in a carefree grin.

“You say that now…but within, there are shadows that want to suck all the light you can perceive from your sight.” Rayna told them, silently hating how the jovial toymaker deflated under her words. “Our real challenge now is how not to go mad before we reach the other side.”

“Can you not take us over?”

The dark-haired woman stiffened at the innocent suggestion. “That is dangerous and as powerful as I am, I don’t wish to risk it. An interesting challenge but one I’m wise enough not to take.”

“Hold my horse! I still have need of him!” Gandalf called out suddenly, making most everyone jump in surprise.

“But you’ve just rejoined us!” Thorin protested, his words catching attention.

“Wait, you sent them to the High Pass alone? No wonder they almost died!”

Both Gandalf and Thorin ignored her, most of the Company trying desperately to ignore how the woman was now glaring at the king’s back. At the same time, the aged wizard gave them a sad shake of his head. “I would not leave unless I had a choice. Trust in Rayna, she will guide you true.”

Unable to find any words to protest, they had no choice but to watch the wizard ride off to the south, Thorin starting to bark orders at everyone. Once the others were hurrying along with their tasks, the dwarf king lumbered over to where Rayna had remained the whole time. “So, is the path before us safe?”

Irritated as she was, Rayna kept her harsh words at bay to sigh and nod at the dwarf before her. “Only if you remain on the road. Anywhere else and you’re likely doomed to wander forever. The plants and water are tainted by the magics woven into the forest so ration everything we have if you wish to eat somewhat properly in there.” Thorin frowned deeply at her words but listened intently as she went one. “Trust very little, save yourself and your fellows. You just might survive if you do.”

“Have you been in there before?” Gloin called from near the middle of the group, the banker sounding fairly suspicious of the forest they were about to enter.

Like a cloud suddenly overtaking a clear sky, Rayna’s expression became unreadable in an instant. “Once.” She said in a distant voice. “Follow me and stay on the bricks. No matter what, do not wander.”

The dwarves nodded collectively, taking her grim words to heart as the woman turned and led the way beneath the antler-looking trees. The afternoon wore away and when night came, they settled at the edge of the road, Bombur handing out the cautious ration Rayna had suggested from the start. Knowing that wandering away from the dwarves would just spell trouble, Rayna instead to going up trees to sleep, her keen senses and the sometimes unnatural noises of the forest making it hard to get any shuteye. By morning she noticed that Bilbo was no different, recalling that hobbits had ears almost as keen as hers, the gentle being in need of sunlight simply to be comfortable. By the third day of travel it become obvious to Thorin and the rest of the company, the dwarves increasingly worried about the Halfling in their midst. Of everyone, Ori and the princes took notice of Rayna’s growing discomfort in turn, not liking how she would stare off into the trees like Bilbo, an unreadable expression on her face.

“What do you see?” the hobbit asked in a gentle voice that was almost above a whisper.

Not looking away from the spot she was gazing at, the woman’s voice came forth with an edge Bilbo didn’t like. “Shadows…so many I may as well be blind.”

Unsure how else to respond, the hobbit nodded sagely, trying not to flinch when another distant noise met his keen hearing. Given her skills, he had to assume it was twice as bad for the woman he was speaking to. “Is it truly that dark here?”

“Not that kind of darkness…it’s worse than that.” Rayna told him, finally meeting his eyes with a look that reminded Bilbo of a cornered animal in a way. “They move…as if with minds of their own.”

Frowning deeply, the hobbit dared to place a hand on the woman’s shoulder, gripping it as he muttered a soft assurance. “We’re here, alright?”

Rayna didn’t say anything, her face still hard to read as she looked away to stare off into the woods. Later that night her ears picked up on Balin’s hushed whispers to the dwarf king leading them. “Something is amiss.”

“What? How do you mean?” Thorin murmured back, not wanting to disturb any of the Company as most were uneasy as it was.

Balin’s quiet voice came forth with a distressed tone. “Bilbo and the woman, they stare off into the woods like they expect something to jump from the brush. Bilbo I understand but her? I fear she may strike at us by mistake.”

Thorin hummed lightly. “Yes I’ve noticed. I’ve done what I can for the Halfling but our guide is another matter.”

“Aye, and Ori has tried all he can, as have your nephews. Perhaps you should try your hand, my king.” The sage remarked, having witnessed the dwarf princes attempt to pull Rayna into some little scheme or game they had in mind but all it did was get the woman to look away for ten minutes. She appreciated their efforts and would’ve told them had some new noise hadn’t caught her attention, forcing her to track where it went.

Shuffling boots on hard earth and soft dust caught her attention just long enough to register the dwarf’s approach, the monarch somehow managing to speak in wary tones. “Rayna, are you well?”

“Well enough.” She returned quietly. Her instincts were screaming that she ignore Thorin and most everything else. That she was surrounded by threats.

Thorin’s voice cut through the tiny voice chiding her, allowing Rayna to focus on what he was saying. “I’m told you have been uncomfortable since entering the forest. Something about…the shadows moving.”

Mouth twitching into a frown, Rayna couldn’t deny him an honest answer. “My eyes see more than you or any other being can perceive. There is…very little light here.”

“The sun has yet to set.” Thorin told her, sounding puzzled.

Finally looking at him, Rayna shook her head. “That’s not the kind of light I’m talking about. It’s…within.”

The dwarf king arched a brow. “Within?”

“Inside, where the heart is.”

“Oh.” He responded simply, Rayna fighting the urge to laugh at seeing the older dwarf try and understand her words. “Have you tried not looking…that way?”

Sighing heavily, Rayna somehow managed to shut her eyes, feeling the pain in them ebb just a little. “It is not a candle you can blow out when you wish to sleep. It is constant. Outside the forest it’s…bearable but in here?” she sighed again, bringing a hand up to rub at a sore temple, certain her face expressed the pain there. “You may as well have given me a blindfold just to wave a jar of fireflies in my face.”

“So you have no control?”

“Very little. I can…focus on other things but the energy is still there, hoping to smother me so I can’t breathe. All I can see right now is death.”

“Please tell me you’re exaggerating.” Thorin muttered, sounding honestly concerned.

“Look at the trees, truly look at them.” Rayna instructed, gaining the strength to watch him obey. “Do they look healthy to you? Vibrant?”

“It is fairly murky in here.” he responded, frowning at the surrounding foliage. “And they are…faded.”

“That is because their energies are being dominated by the shadows tainting these lands, and so the trees have been slowly dying ever since.” Ice blue eyes met blue-gray, the dwarf blinking at her next sentence. “Just like the energy in your mountain.”

“I thought you’d never been there.” Thorin said in slight awe.

Rayna shook her head, clearly saddened. “Not to the gates, never past the ruins of Dale. Your mountain…she is sick. She yearns for her former inhabitants to return and the dragon to be gone, but can only wait until something is done.”

“Like this forest.”

“Yes.” The woman confirmed regretfully. “My people are observers, dwarf king, only acting when we feel things are truly moving in the wrong direction. Others think us dark spirits or imps because of it, when we’re caught in the act. All with good intentions, I assure you.”

“Did any of your kind try to help my grandfather? My father?” Thorin asked, finding himself oddly desperate for answers he knew he wasn’t liable to be in favor of.

To his disappointment, Rayna only shrugged. “Probably, I would have to ask around however. I wasn’t exactly born yet when most of your hardships occurred.” The woman paused, not even blinking at Thorin’s glance of puzzlement. “You might want to head over there. Dinner’s almost ready.”

The dwarf king almost gaped at the sudden shift. “Wait, you--!”

“Just go eat, moron.” Rayna commanded, turning away from him to focus back on the depths of the forest. “After all, it’s the thought that counts.”

The next few days proved to make the problem even worse, Bilbo slowly becoming more and more unnerved while Rayna continued to feel on edge. Eventually even Fili and Kili getting into some childish fight over…something didn’t quite help bring any positive energy to the group at all. At some point, Rayna must’ve gotten fed up with things, grabbed up a very surprised Bilbo who let out a squeak, given no time to protest when the woman began to climb the nearest tree with him under arm. Thorin roared for her to come back, to release their burglar and stop whatever madness she was up to. Ignoring the dwarf king, the brunette woman was soon lost in the many branches, the dwarves forced to wait with bated breath for any sign of the pair. After nearly ten minutes, she returned, ignoring the angry demands of Thorin and several other people before they quieted down at Balin’s insistence. “What is it, lass?” the sage asked once the camp fell silent.

Looking down at the sage calmly, the dark-haired woman responded rather easily. “We couldn’t see the mountain very well, or the river. But we’re getting there. I’d say we’re making good time.” she told them, inwardly liking how most of them began to softly chatter to one another in excitement. “Keep at it, and you just might get there some weeks early.”

Ignoring her for the most part, Thorin stepped to give their lone hobbit a closer look, concern evident. “Bilbo, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. The sunlight…it was nice.” Bilbo admitted, smiling reassuringly at the king.

Thorin nodded his acceptance, his next words coming with a new confidence. “You two can go up again in a few days, check how far we are.” Giving the Company a sweeping glance, the king then instructed. “There’s still a ways to go. Try to get some sleep.”

No one argued, simply glad to have the knowledge of making progress as they settled into their bedrolls. On the far side, Bilbo and Thorin were conspicuously close but given everything going on at the moment, they obviously didn’t care and Rayna wasn’t going to say anything about it. Such connections weren’t uncommon among her people, as they were more open-minded than most other races. The hobbit was already explaining what they’d seen just above the canopy in hushed tones. Rayna fell asleep to the Halfling’s words of how the sun had been golden against the leaves up high and how oddly calming it had been. At the same time, unaware of warm brown eyes watching her cautiously.

She was about to drift away when Kili’s voice jolted her back awake. “The lights …they’re important?”

Blinking at the sudden question, and wondering just when the dwarf had learned of her skill, Rayna answered anyway. “Yes, they are signs of life in another person or living creature. Their strength often makes it easy to tell how pure its spirit is and how long it has lived.”

The youngest prince frowned considerably. “But you can’t see that here?”

“Barely, and what I can see…is not good. I imagine it’s many times worse to the south.”

“So you really can’t fight this?”

“My instincts are telling me this place is dangerous. It would be like waving a yellow banner in the distance and expecting you not to follow it with your eyes.” Rayna told him, noting that Fili and several others had perked up, obviously to listen. “It’s our nature.”

“That’s what’s out there?” Kili asked, concern hinting his voice.

Rayna shrugged. “Probably. My senses, much like the hobbit’s, are picking up on them and if I ignore them we could all die.”

Kili nodded, letting the words sink in. “What if Fili and I slept by you? Would that help?”

“I…” the woman hesitated, unsure what to think. On one hand, the night wouldn’t be as cold but on the other, it made it harder to ignore the princes’ affable natures. Given that Fili was staring on with a more curious stare than a pleading one like his brother, Rayna found she couldn’t make a very good argument against the offer. “Fine, but keep your hands to yourself. I know you dwarves can be… excitable.” She warned, giving the pair a weak glower.

“By our honor.” Fili said as he got up, blankets already in his hands.

Rayna only sighed, closing her eyes to get the sinister darkness to give way to a more serene kind behind her eyelids. It helped ease the pain in her head, aided by the cool tips of her fingers rubbing at her temples in slow circular motions. Settling in on either side of her, the two dwarf princes made sure their shoulders didn’t cut into her sides too much as they eventually fell still. Rayna noted how their combined heat, as dwarves were known for being walking furnaces half the time, was having a calming effect. In almost an hour, she was asleep, blissfully unaware of all the noises sounding off from all directions in the distance. When she woke the next morning, Rayna found she could focus better, her mind was clearer. Breakfast, though rationed like everything else, had more taste to it and the water to wash it down refreshing. The rest of the Company was still feeling pretty down, more affected by the forest than any of them wished to openly admit. Ori was using the lull in their journey to write in his journal and most were getting organized for the road.

The pattern held for three straight days. By the fourth, things finally took a turn for the worst when, of all things, Rayna lost the very party she was meant to be guiding. At first she believed the silence due to the deafening stillness of the forest or the sullen demeanors of the dwarves. Turning back, she saw it was because at some point, the fools had turned away from the neat bricks of the road to wander into the trees. Any attempts to track them by smell was nearly useless as most of the foliage was pungent or simply not natural, nearly making her sneeze. Using her other types of vision only gave her pains behind her eyes or straight up headaches, opting instead for simply picking out their barely visible prints in the dirt. Dwarf boots could leave quite an impression while Bilbo’s hobbit feet barely left a mark half the time. Finding they had lingered in a clearing for a time only to vanish was troubling up until she found yards of spider webs crisscrossing the branches above. Then it was just plain disturbing, as Rayna had heard many a rumor of the massive beasts invading the forest further and further north with the shadows that plagued the place. The screech of dying spiders and the dull thud of something heavy colliding with the forest floor got Rayna scrambling to find a scene wrapped in webs and chaos. Fili was tearing at the cocoon trapping his brother, whose face bore an oddly distant expression resembling sleepiness while Dwalin struggled to fend off a very large grey spider that was hissing at the bald warrior.

Not about to let them become some foul creature’s dinner, Rayna came to a stop on a large root just long enough to shoot an arrow at the spider, getting it between its many eyes. A bit startled by the fall of his foe, the inked warrior spun just to relax at seeing their guide jog forward with a frown as she demanded. “Only dwarves can get lost walking in a straight line. I knew you lot were directionally challenged but this is ridiculous!”

“Could we talk of this later?” Dwalin snarled as more spiders came skittering down from the webbing, their shrill voices making Rayna’s ears hurt.

Drawing her sword, the dark-haired woman growled right back. “Expect your ears to come off then.”

Further conversation became impossible with the coming of wave after wave of giant, hissing arachnids who were unbelievably angry at being denied a proper meal. As Rayna and Dwalin struggled to hold them off, the rest of the Company eventually got to their feet to lend a hand, even tearing the legs off one so much the shock of it caused it to die with a shriek and a twitch of its mangled form. Rayna was holding strong until she noticed Kili had gotten pinned under a spider corpse and was calling for someone to give him a knife for another walking over with triumph in its eyes. Snarling from the rage filling her body, Rayna simply pounced at the beast so to drive her blade right through its skull, killing it just short of the prince. Ignoring the blood that spurted out of the wound and splattered her face, Rayna was in the midst of turning when a glimmer of metal caught her eye. She moved almost too late for the arrow to come flying at her, growling when the sharp head got her in the shoulder, the momentum of the projectile making her spin and fall awkwardly. Landing on the forest floor with a low grunt, Rayna ignored the pain she was in and the shouts of her name beyond the spider corpse. Pulling the arrow out with a low grunt, she only glanced at the limb to find blood had stained her clothes and was drying up while the wound itself had already begun to vanish. Sensing that her time was limited, Rayna grabbed up her sword and began to shift, her body shrinking until she settled on a good-sized stoat of chestnut brown fur and beady black eyes. In less than a second, her short legs were making traction on the loose dirt, finding a hole beneath a root to hide in just as the archer came into view. It was a woman, dressed in green and leather armor, her fiery red hair a beautiful contrast with her pale face. The woman’s grey eyes spotted the fallen arrow immediately, brow furrowing at failing to see the person she’d used the arrow to fell with it. grabbing up the bloody arrow and returning it to her quiver to possibly clean later, the elf woman turned and walked from where she’d come. It wasn’t long before Rayna heard irritable dwarf voices protesting their new predicament.

Tiny claws dug into the dry wood of the root, emerging from the hole in time to see the Company had indeed been caught by the Mirkwood elves, forced to march away in a line. Thorin was glaring at a blonde male elf, possibly the leader of the scout troop as he and his kin were led away. Knowing time was limited, Rayna was about to move to follow when she sensed there was something off. _There’s something else here…._ she thought, scanning the clearing. It took a second but she noticed a small pillar of energy that felt out of place. The way it moved was definitely sentient and scurried to follow the procession of people through the forest. _Two can play this game._ Rayna moved forward on her stunted legs, the scent of the invisible being nearly made her stop in her tracks but dashed forward anyway. Tiny claws caught on fabric when she jumped at just the right time to climb up, a barely suppressed squeak of shock answering the act. A hand nearly swept her off the shoulder of the unseen person, trying not to hiss in protest as she whispered into her transport’s ear. “Hobbit, hobbit.”

“Rayna?” the familiar voice of the Halfling called from right next to her ear. From the way hot breath fell on her face, he’d turned his head to try and see her better as…whatever he had become.

“Hobbit.” She repeated in the almost high pitch voice that was a consequence of such a small form.

“Quick, in my pocket!” he commanded, a hand nearly squeezing her middle as his stubby fingers picked her up and all but stuffed the shifted being into the soft space that was his pocket.

“Getting away.” Rayna warned softly, poking her nose out from under the cloth flap. The fact she couldn’t see it was a bit unnerving but the feel said it still existed.

“Only because of you, confounded creature!” Bilbo hissed irritably as he jogged to keep up with the procession ahead of them. Then a question seemed to come to mind. “Why are you a stoat?”

Rayna tilted her head more out of instinct. “Mouse?”

“No, it’s fine I just…never mind. Are you hurt?”

“Shot. Better now.”

“How--?” Bilbo silenced himself when one of the elf guards turned around for a second, the man’s ethereal orbs of hazel scanning the woods before turning back and walking on. With a sigh of relief, the hobbit sounded fed up when he whispered. “You probably wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

The shifter woman didn’t respond, feeling oddly happy for being carried about for once instead of carrying someone else. Bilbo followed the elven scouts and the Company for most of the day, rarely stopping in case they somehow became separated in the spell-infested forest they were undoubtedly trapped in. tempted though she was to fall asleep, Rayna stayed awake as best she could until she noticed the trees were thinning out some. “Hurry!” Rayna urged him, noticing they were reaching the end when the bridge leading to a very familiar set of gates appeared just feet away.

“Shh!” Bilbo managed quietly, glad that his hobbit feet allowed him to scurry after their fellows with nary a sound. The hobbit didn’t breathe easily until the doors were shut and any guards nearby were long gone to hear him.

Jumping out of the Halfling’s coat pocket, Rayna skittered around, nose to the ground and beady eyes searching for anything suspicious. As it had only been a few moments, the scents of the dwarves were strong in the air and on the ground. _They can’t be that far away then._ Turning back to the hobbit, Rayna’s voice echoed softly through the hall. “This way.”

“And where, pray tell, are we going?” Bilbo demanded as he moved to follow, not wanting to get caught somehow should a guard come by to uncover why he was hearing voices.

“Dwarves.” The shifter returned simply in a whisper.

“Oh yes, that’s helpful.” Bilbo muttered irritably, frowning though no one could see it when the stoat began to head through a doorway up ahead. “Please tell me you know where you’re going.”

“Scent tells, nose knows.”

“That…actually made sense.” The hobbit remarked quietly, his soft feet not making any noise on the stone floor. He had to stop several times so not to step on the small creature just beneath his feet, lest he get her to start yowling in protest. Though she didn’t know it, Bilbo had given Thorin a good scolding for stepping on Rayna’s tail back at Beorn’s house. As far as he knew, the dwarf had yet to apologize for it. _I’ll remind him when we get out of this._ The hobbit paused when the stoat did, about to ask what was wrong exactly when the small beast suddenly vanished before his eyes. Stunned, Bilbo almost didn’t register the approaching steps of what had to be a guard by the heavy boots. Scurrying in a panic, the hobbit managed to plant himself against the wall as a guard bearing a spear and helmet walked by. At the same moment as the male elf turned a corner, Rayna reappeared in human form with a dazed expression.

Bilbo was there to grip her arm despite being invisible, startled but holding himself together well enough to demand softly. “Why did you change back?! Please tell me you’re not tired already!”

“No I…I’ve just never gone from beast to something…not quite the same before. It was a bit taxing.” Rayna admitted, bracing a hand against the wall to keep from stumbling. The dizzy spinning in her head was new, for certain.

Sighing anxiously, the hobbit did…something to cause him to be visible again, his expression showing he was struggling with the urgency to move on and concern for his companion. “Can you keep going?”

“Yes, in a moment.”

“Why did you do that then?” the Halfling demanded.

Rayna glowered at the shorter male, mentally kicking herself for such a foolish move on her part. “I do have emotions other than ire and rage, hobbit. I panicked.”

“Well…don’t do it again! We’re all the others have at the moment.”

“Not exactly.” The woman muttered, blinking as her head finally calmed. “I could try and seek Gandalf. He is the one who sought my aid and he might convince Thranduil to release Thorin and the others.”

“No, we don’t know where he went and it could take ages. We must do what we can to release the others should negotiations with the elf king fail.” Bilbo reasoned, worry etched into his tired face now.

Rayna nodded solemnly. “They definitely will. Thranduil broke his promise to help Erebor in times of peril when he didn’t try and attack Smaug. Even I know Thorin hates him for not following through and now will be no different.”

“I for one am not going to let them rot in cells until Durin’s Day. We honestly don’t have the time and as much as I’d like Gandalf’s advice, I say we deal with this ourselves.” The hobbit responded hotly, making the shifter woman quirk an eyebrow at the rare show of irritation.

“Then our best chance is the cellar. Going through the front gates is too obvious and going below to the river is anyone’s best chance of getting away relatively unnoticed.”

Bilbo faltered at the idea of water. “T-the river? Is that wise?”

“Certainly! I tested it actually.” Rayna told him, sounding faintly insulted.

The hobbit gaped at her. “Doing what?!”

A dark brow rose questioningly, ice blue eyes staring the hobbit down. “Are you sure you wish to know?”

“Now that I think of it, no I do not.” Bilbo grumbled, frowning. “But it’s safe?”

“Oh aye! If you don’t mind takin’ a cold swim.” Rayna said casually.

Bilbo stared for a moment. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

Rayna’s answering chuckle and smirk were best described as devious. “Hobbit, if you don’t do something, you’ll regret not doing it. Not doing this could mean all kinds of ill for whatever it is Gandalf is trying to prevent or set in motion. Wizards don’t go on quests for simply ridding mountains of pesky dragons.”

“Yes well, I would rather we avoid the water but as you said, it may be our only option by now.” The hobbit conceded, frowning as something came to mind. “How could you see me as I was?”

At that, Rayna frowned. “More like the energy that shrouds you than your actual self, if you wish to be accurate. For anyone else it would be guesswork.” Ignoring the hobbit’s stunned look she continued. “The cellar is a few levels below the cells where our companions were taken. We should go before someone else shows up.”

“And how do you know that?” Bilbo asked, frowning again.

Rayna stared. “Would you believe me if I told you?”

The hobbit blinked and shook his head. “Never mind.”

Satisfied, Rayna’s form rippled until she was in stoat form again and Bilbo was no longer visible. The shifter woman knew it had something to do with the glimmer of gold she spotted just before the hobbit disappeared but ignored it. Sniffing at the ground to pick the scent back up, the dark-furred beast was running along, calling back. “Hurry.”

Ten minutes to chasing after the tiny creature nearly made the hobbit forget exactly where they were and from whence they’d come but had to blink when they came into a spacious area linked by stone bridges. Like the rest of the castle it was smooth and elegant, even if the barred doors on the many cells broke the aesthetic of the place. Claws barely making noise on the stone, Rayna darted between the various cells to make sure all were accounted for. Behind her, Bilbo must’ve become visible for one of the dwarves was calling out. “Bilbo?” it sounded to be Bofur, the jovial toy-making dwarf still wearing that strange hat of his Rayna could never make sense of. “Hey! It’s Bilbo!”

“The hobbit?” Gloin called back from another cell, the auburn haired dwarf coming to his cell door to gape at Bilbo. “Amazing!”

Coming to his own door just next to Gloin’s, Balin smiled kindly at Bilbo, his pale white beard still clean even in a prison. “How are ya, lad?”

“Well enough. Where’s Thorin?” the hobbit asked, his smile weak at best.

“Dragged before the king, I imagine.” The dwarf sage muttered morosely. It took him a moment for his frown to deepen, glancing around. “Where’s our guide?”

Climbing up the back of Bilbo’s worn red coat, Rayna settled on the hobbit’s shoulder to abruptly state. “Stinks here.”

Blinking at the stoat, though if the sage was surprised it could talk or that their guide could take such a shape he gave no side when he nodded slowly. “Aye, I’m sure it does. But we can’t leave without Thorin!”

“We’ll find him. For now, please be patient.” Bilbo responded, hoping his voice had enough strength in it to be convincing. Smiling weakly at them, Balin nodded. “Best of luck, you two.”

Bilbo nodded back and slipped his ring back on, Rayna jumping down so her tiny claws made faint scratching noises on the smooth stone as she hopped from one step to the next on her way down to another hallway. The hobbit followed without question, hoping it was Thorin’s scent that drove her along now. To his growing relief they saw no guards on their way further into the mountain castle and its dungeons, only halls lit by small torches. After a while, Bilbo almost believed they’d been going around in circles until they came to a small staircase leading just a few feet downward into the sculpted rock. It wasn’t as well lit but Rayna dashed right for it anyway, the Halfling dearly hoping the shifter’s nose wasn’t wrong. When the tiny beast paused near the bottom, Bilbo was tempted to ask if there were guards until her voice echoed back. “No one. Follow.”

“Is he down here?” the hobbit asked in a soft whisper. The last thing he wanted was for a guard passing by to hear him.

The stoat’s tiny ears twitched as the beady black eyes stared in his general direction, equally small voice responding. “Yes. Door.”

 _I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that._ Bilbo thought, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. “Please tell me you know something about elven doors.”

“Key.”

“Well I assumed we’d need that but…can’t you just knock it down?”

The stoat’s face wrinkled in a light hiss, fur standing on end, the voice best described as irate. “Obvious!”

“No, you’re right that would be ambitious.” Bilbo agreed, amending his question. “Can you at least get me in?"

“Pick up.” the small beast commanded suddenly.

Though invisible, Bilbo couldn’t help but frown. “Why?”

The beast’s small face furrowed irritably again. “Do it!”

Bilbo didn’t argue, gently taking the furry creature into his hands even if it was odd how it looked that nothing was holding it aloft. He barely had time to react when the stout’s body rippled and seemed to blur, feeling like his hands were being pulled. In less than a second the hobbit’s perception warped and it was like he didn’t have a body anymore, only able to watch as something raised him almost to the ceiling and then between the bars of the small window leading into the cell where it was slightly darker than the hall outside. To Bilbo’s shock, Thorin sat against the wall of the cell, his blue grey eyes wide in pure wonder and bafflement over why there was a gust coming into the room. Shock was evident on the dwarf’s face when Bilbo found himself on the floor again, still invisible while Rayna was not. At some point she’d become human again, looking dazed like she had not an hour before.

“Are you alright?” Bilbo asked quietly, having become visible once more so Thorin wouldn’t think his voice was coming out of thin air.

“I need a minute.” Rayna muttered, frowning when the dizziness in her head nearly sent her to the floor.

At the wall across from them, Thorin was openly staring in disbelief. “How is this possible? I believed you two lost.”

“Not yet.” The shifter woman commented, holding back a groan of fatigue. _I really need a good long nap after all this madness._

“What now?” Bilbo asked, demeanor screaming anxiety.

“The Company, how are they?” Thorin suddenly questioned, glancing between the pair who’d ‘appeared’ in his cell.

“Well if boxed up like you. Not with chains though. You must’ve done something very interesting.” Rayna said, giving the dwarf king a curious stare.

“I …may have shown my displeasure to my guards.” The dark-haired dwarf grumbled irritably.

The shifter woman nodded. “Sounds familiar.”

“Can you get these chains off him?” Bilbo cut in again, clearly wanting to keep his fellows focused on the task at hand.

Frowning, Rayna shook her head. “Not yet, we’ve no idea when the guards come and if they check on him and he’s gone, they’ll lock everything down. If we do this right, it just might go without flaw.”

“You have a plan?” Thorin asked, giving the woman a curious look.

“It’s your only hope of reaching Laketown, and Erebor, before season’s end. The only time I can think best to do all this is during the midnight hours.” Rayna paused, forcing her tired brain to work properly. “But first we need the keys.”

“Can’t you just open the doors? Something?”

Again, the shifter woman shook her head at the question posed by the hobbit. “The magics here are strong, but at least the shadows are more natural. If I start doing all kinds of fantastic things, our hosts will react too quickly for any of you to get away.”

The hobbit frowned. “You’re not coming with us?”

“I told you, Laketown was my limit and someone needs to find Gandalf. I can’t be in two places at once.” The woman explained. “The most I can do is aid your escape to the river and the lake but if you really want all of this to succeed, you need Gandalf. Even Thranduil respects the Grey Wanderer for all his meddling.”

“And you can ferry him to us, just like you did Bilbo through the door?” Thorin asked, clearly trying to understand what the woman was saying.

“That depends on where he is and what he’s up to. I’ve already used quite a bit of my power today and using more could be damaging right now.” Rayna turned her gaze to Bilbo, not bothered over how the Halfling froze. “I can show you where you need to go but the rest is up to you. It’s in your hands now, hobbit.”

Bilbo swallowed thickly. “I …I understand.”

“Good. I should be back in about an hour. Try not to get noticed until then, hobbit.” She warned, becoming wind so to fly through the barred window in the thick wooden door. Once outside, the voices inside the cell caught her attention.

“Oh Thorin, I was so worried.” She heard Bilbo say, a rustle of fabric suggesting a hasty embrace.

Thorin’s answer was soft and, to her surprise, edging on affectionate. “As was I, burglar. When you both vanished…I hoped you had not been caught.”

“I hate seeing you chained up like this! I know Rayna said it was not wise but--.” The dwarf king cut him off, though if he was bothered by the hobbit’s distress Rayna couldn’t tell.

“My guard ensures my food reaches me with a pole, Bilbo. Were they to see me out of my restraints they would know something was amiss.” There was a pause and Thorin spoke again in a softer tone. “I understand your concern but if we are to escape, we must maintain our charade as prisoners.”

Bilbo’s sigh echoed off the walls. “I know….”

Rayna didn’t stay to hear more, drifting back up the staircase. _Time to see if this place has changed since last I was here._ She thought, taking the needed turns back to the main hallway they’d taken on the way down. Glancing from side to side, Rayna found the area clear before moving on. She returned to Thorin’s cell at the promised time, the cell smelling of… intense emotions that the shifter woman didn’t comment on. Though frank at times, Rayna did know when to keep her mouth shut even though she had to whisper. “Guard coming.”

Bilbo had stiffened at the news, looking pained as he vanished from sight and Thorin put on a mask of irritation. The guard opened the door and pushed a tray of food to the dwarf as he said he would, though how Bilbo got past the elf Rayna never bothered to ask as she spent the next few hours helping the nimble hobbit where to go. Guiding him to the food stores proved a boost to the tired hobbit’s mood, as did watching him ferry some better pieces to the dwarves in the main cells. Rayna ate as much as she dared, same as Bilbo. But more than anything, she kept an eye out for everything to show the elves were catching on. The female elf, hair fiery red and dressed in green robes turned out to be the guard captain and as keen in mind as well as aim. It was interesting to see the elf woman, Tauriel she learned, speaking to Kili now and again though the most the dwarf did was give her charming smiles and sweet words. As near as Rayna could tell, the elf was thrown by what was said but little else. More than once Rayna got a look into the elf’s eyes, seeing not as much wisdom as was in that of her fellows. _Naïve but strong in both will and mind, in spite of her station in life. What a rare and strange combination._ Rayna thought about teasing Kili on his attempts to befriend the elf but the will to poke fun at the dwarf died quickly. It would be an odd change to her demeanor around the dwarves, not to mention the sort of thing she’d pull with people she was actually truly acquainted with. So she lingered in various places, waiting for the right moment.

It came nearly a week later, waiting among the many wine barrels in the cellar when one of the guards insisted he and his fellows partake of their ‘king’s fine taste in spirits’. Anyone who knew anything about drinking knew even elves had their limits, able to get drunk as skunks no differently than any other mortal creature. Knowing such high and mighty people were about to do exactly that nearly had Rayna cackling like a demon as she flew back up to find Bilbo with the keys in hand. Coming to Thorin’s cell, Rayna made a show of making a little noise as she blew in, her wind form creating a small whistling sound against the bars. Both dwarf and hobbit were taken off guard, the pair openly gaping when said door swung open on its own. Neither spoke or moved until Rayna did, her voice echoing into the room. “Now or never.”

“What of the guards?” Bilbo asked, grabbing up the ring of keys the shifter had left stuck in the door.

“Drunk in the cellar. Get the others and I’ll meet you there.” Rayna told him, watching the hobbit’s face furrow.

“But--!”

“Now!” Rayna growled before flying back towards the cellar to check the stack of barrels on the river gate. They were piled evenly enough, though Rayna wished there were more than just the twelve there. _We’ve got thirteen dwarves and a Halfling that hates water. C’mon, think!_ Looking around, the shifter woman felt a brief sense of relief at seeing there were still a few barrels that had yet to be added to the pile. Glad for her less than normal strength, Rayna grabbed two of them and was getting the second one in place when the Company came shuffling down the stairs. Turning to face them, she hissed. “Move dammit! For all we know they’re light sleepers!”

Where does this lead?” Thorin demanded, possibly for the benefit of the Company.

Rayna wasn’t about to deny him as she would’ve told him anyway. “To the Forest River and into Lake Esgaroth. Laketown will be on the island in the middle of the lake itself and ramshackle at best. Your best bet is these barrels that are delivered there to be taken down the Celduin to be refilled by some nation of Men down south. There should be a bargeman waiting at the river’s end for the barrels. Convince him to take you to Laketown and from there it should be a matter of getting enough aid to head for the mountain.”

“How do you know all this?” Kili asked from somewhere in the crowd.

More out of habit than anything, Rayna frowned. “You must really want to stay here for a century.”

“But this will work?” Balin cut in, hoping to appease their helper.

“Of course, this was the hobbit’s idea.” The shifter woman responded, ignoring the shocked look on said hobbit’s face. “Get in and I’ll pull the lever.”

“What about you?” Balin inquired while the others moved to obey.

Rayna had to fight not to roll her eyes. _How many times must I explain this?_ “My aid ends at Laketown. Just because I’m not going doesn’t mean I’m not going to help you get there.” Distant sound tickled her ear, making the woman nearly whip around like a dog. From the way Bilbo had done the same, he must’ve heard the racket too. It made the urgency in her voice all the more real when she snapped. “The guards are coming! Hurry!”

Hurrying to get into the barrels, Bilbo paused long enough to say. “Thank you.”

Looking down at the hobbit with his mop of golden curls, Rayna smirked. “Just live to see the end of this mad little quest, hobbit. Someone with a brain needs to write about this someday. May as well be you.” she waited until they were all in their respective barrels before practically grinning like a madwoman. “Hope you boys don’t mind cold baths.”

None of them had a chance to protest when the woman pulled the lever and sent them tumbling down into the early morning light and the cold water waiting below. At the same time the door shut, a whole line of guards came darting down the stairs in time to see the door close and no one at the lever. As the elves ran back up, all shouting as they went, a gust of wind followed them up to find the nearest window so to head south. Rising high above the forest, the swift-moving zephyr knew time was limited. _I just hope that old man hasn’t gotten himself into anything overly dangerous again._

\----

Her thought ended up coming true anyway, meeting Galadriel of Lorien at the now truly ruined site of Dol Guldur had been interesting. Knowing the now torn down fortress had been home not only to Orcs but Sauron of all people had been disturbing to know but so was knowing that Gandalf almost became another victim of the Dark Lord’s cruelty. Aiding the injured wizard up off the ground and using as much healing magic as she dared, Rayna glared at the pale magus as she growled. “You’re worse than Radagast sometimes, I hope you know that.”

The wizard didn’t fight the admonishment, only insisting they reach Erebor with the greatest haste if they wanted to keep things from getting any worse. In spite of the stink of dark magic everywhere and desperately wanting a nap, Rayna agreed that her power was their best option. Bidding Galadriel farewell, Rayna whisked Gandalf away into the sky to head back north again. They reached the mountain several days later, thankfully in time to stop Thranduil and Bard from storming Erebor for their promised riches. Standing just behind Gandalf, Rayna watched and waited as Gandalf warned them of the coming Orc forces, sighing in relief when it proved enough to stave off the tension. As he was the better equipped of the two armies, Thranduil offered them both a tent in which to stay until the end of the campaign. Ever polite, Gandalf agreed humbly while Rayna chose not to say anything.

Being near elves was always a tad unnerving for Rayna. Having to be near them, even with Gandalf nearby wasn’t any better, more so with Thranduil’s cold stares and his rather snotty prince of a son. The blonde elf was more or less polite but something about his tone always seemed to rub her the wrong way. It didn’t help that she recalled it was Thranduil had rather selfishly imprisoned the dwarves, making her job of guiding the Company to their ancient home that much harder. Bard the Bowman from Laketown often acted as a balm for most of the tension when Gandalf wasn’t enough. Holing up with the elderly magus kept Rayna away from both men and elves, and even then she could’ve done without all the openly curious stares. _It’s almost like they’ve never seen a woman before!_ She often thought, ignoring all as she went about either helping set up the healing tents, making sure any and all food was still fresh and ample, or following Gandalf about. Having more than half the room gasp and curse when the wizard asked her to go scout an area, becoming wind right before their eyes was worth all the stares after that, keen hearing picking up the many rumors about her around camp. More than a few were either a bit fantastical or simply outrageous but she wasn’t about to correct them. If it kept the elves from talking to her or the men from killing her, Rayna would let their tongues waggle like dog tails if they could. It was no better among the dwarves, the stocky warriors acting more suspicious and condescending than even the elves, and more likely to try and kill her just for being strange than the men of Laketown. The only relief Rayna could find in it was none had tried to pull a blade on her yet, not really wanting to believe her connection to Gandalf was staying the hands of her now potentially countless attackers. Even then, it didn’t keep the occasional imbecile from trying their hand with crossing swords with her. one incident in particular occurred with a faintly drunk dwarf, faintly was putting it lightly but unlike most drunks he still had some wits about him to at least walk in a straight line and not have slurred words.

“Women should not be warriors! They should be cooks or midwives, not bearers of shields and blades!” the lead dwarf garbled loudly, his beady eyes glowing with drunken mischief as he pointed right up into the brunette woman’s face, his mouth split in a shit-eating grin. “Just what are you hoping to do here? Give comfort to--?”

The dwarf never got to finish his obviously crass remark when Rayna’s right fist met his nose and practically crushed it in a grisly crack of bones. He fell like a stone to the cold ground, face bloody and half conscious, his friends who’d once been chuckling were now gaping like fish at what had just unfolded. The human and elven onlookers appeared just as stunned, but the dwarves came out of it faster than she’d thought they would, the quartet of warriors roaring as they raised their axes. Either way, Rayna was able to grab one axe and pull its user up to toss him aside, jumping away from the three other blades coming her way in the same step. The axe-wielding dwarf crashed in a heap of limbs and armor over ten feet away, his landing all but convincing him that getting back up was a foolish idea. Meanwhile, the two other blades struck the ground while the third only whistled in the air, the force behind it nearly making its wielder spin like a dancer, though stumbling ungracefully. Using this to her advantage, Rayna brought a hand down on the dwarf’s arm so to cause his sword to be driven into the ground. Dizzy and letting out low curses, the dwarf never had the chance to recover when he felt someone grab hold of the back of his tunic and bodily hurl him through the air. In a collision of bodies and loud grunts he landed on his already fallen friend. The remaining two, though still quite drunk were determined to finish what their friends had failed to complete, both raising their swords in loud bellows. Rayna kicked one in the stomach, sending him rolling off and into a tent pole while his companion’s blade nearly got her arm and shoulder. Before the dwarf could bring his sword back up for another attempt, a pair of clearly sober dwarves jumped forward to take their companion by the arms no matter his protests that he wanted to finish the fight. Rayna was thrown by the interruption as her blood had started to boil at nearly losing her arm, glaring darkly at the elves that’d moved to keep her from moving toward her now incapacitated opponent. Growling low and feral the woman took a distant thrill from how the pair blanched faintly, their dark eyes only just widening in a rare show of emotion.

Suddenly, Gandalf’s weathered visage was dominating her vision, making the woman snarl again once more at being thwarted. “Rayna! You must stop!” he commanded strongly.

“Blood, pain, HATE!” she answered in a voice that was deeper than it should’ve been, making more than one person go still in awe and terror. The elves at Gandalf’s back looked particularly rattled.

Frowning deeply, the wizard calmly persisted. “Calm yourself, I beg of you! See reason! This battle is won and you the victor!”

Rayna had to shake her head, some of her reasoning still working for the words to come forth with some level of intelligence as she spat out. “Always, always hate! Never, ever did anything wrong! Yet, always hate! Always pain!”

“Not today, and none for you. Rayna, there are many here who can contest your actions as true and without ill will.” Gandalf told her in a soft tone, forcing the wheels in her head to start turning, watching as her fury dwindled into clouded irritation. Assured she wasn’t going to lash out at him, the wizard spoke again. “Meet me at the tent when you have calmed yourself properly. I will handle things here.”

“I …fine. Just don’t expect for them not to put together a lynch mob.” Rayna told him in a faint voice, hearing the wizard sigh heavily behind her back as she moved away and far from the watching eyes. It was nearly an hour before she made her way to Gandalf’s tent, glad no one was really around to see her or stare like fools. Even better, the tent was empty, allowing her to relish being alone for a while longer until Gandalf appeared a half hour later with Bard and the dwarf lord Dain just behind him. Instead of acknowledging them, Rayna stuck to reading the book she’d brought along, liking to see the words rather than remember them. If anything, she enjoyed the weight of the tome in her hands, the scent of the paper and ink giving her rare sessions more meaning. Despite the eyes upon her now, she wanted to enjoy the moment just a little while longer, able to pretend not to hear Gandalf’s pointed cough. She didn’t react until the wizard got ready to swack her over the head with his staff. Before he could, Rayna spoke. “If you strike me with that, I’ll start to believe you’re as stupid as those dwarves from earlier.”

Lowering the offensive staff, Gandalf huffed. “At least with me, one can be assured you won’t try as hard to kill me.”

Rayna finally looked up at his words. “Who said I was trying to kill them?”

Sighing as he sat on the nearest cot, the wizard gave her a disapproving stare. “A few, once your rage threatened to take hold of you. Fears unfounded, I told them.”

The shifter woman stared right back. “What’s said is one thing, what’s done is completely different.”

“My warriors are claiming that you acted unjustly but I am inclined to believe the wizard that they are being dishonest. Is that true?” Dain asked in his rumbling voice, eyes narrowed as he took in the dark-haired woman.

Rayna’s ice blue eyes fell on the dwarf lord, noting the aged leader didn’t falter under her intense stare. “I see no point in lying, seeing as how your men were drunk and acting with the same ignorant and arrogant notion as the rest of your kin. My reaction was just. Were we not in need of every capable man, I’d have killed them for certain.”

Frowning deeply, Bard finally spoke since entering the tent. “Justified or not, our men wish to know if this will become a common occurrence.”

“Do you ask that for you and the dwarves, or for the elves?” Rayna asked coolly, taking a hidden thrill in how the human shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. “Odd, how the king or the prince are not here.”

“I ask for all, no matter their origin.” Bard argued, standing his ground.

Rayna frowned in turn, unimpressed. “Words I’ve heard before, with nothing to back them but swords and pain.”

“None of which are going to be used here. Not on you.” the Grey wizard assured her, giving the woman cause to turn her attention back to him.

“And I wish very dearly that I could believe you.” she muttered, looking away to flip the page in her book. Gandalf sighed but didn’t argue, ushering the two lords back outside where he whispered softly to them before they trudged off. Rayna could’ve easily overheard what was said but had decided to leave it be. If what he told them kept more than half the camp from trying to kill her or challenger her to a duel, anything else honestly didn’t matter. She did her best not to change too much of her routine as the last thing the brunette shifter woman wanted, possibly above all else, was that the fight had rattled her somehow.

\----

Almost two days later, Rayna thought for sure her heart had stopped for a second or five at seeing Bilbo on the mountain city ramparts, being held aloft only by an angry dwarf king’s less than kind grip. And from the way the raven-haired monarch was snarling, he was not just far from happy, but possibly out of his friggin’ mind. Her keen vision helped pick out the shapes of the king’s nephews, their voices desperate to try and stop their uncle from killing the hobbit in a fit of rage. The wind kept her from hearing exactly what was said but it must’ve worked, for Thorin allowed Bilbo onto solid ground long enough to growl at him some more and prepare a basket to send the Halfling down and out of the city. Bilbo seemed to linger for a few brief farewells before allowing himself to be more peaceably removed from the stronghold, his head of golden curls held low. Two elven riders were there in less than a minute to ferry the hobbit away and Rayna didn’t care to stick around for anything else. Weaving through the camp, she found Bilbo had been escorted to Gandalf’s tent, the hobbit sitting on the wizard’s empty cot. He looked worse than a kicked puppy, energy low and demeanor forlorn, face streaked with tracks where tears had cut through the grime on his face. “Spirits above, how bad?”

The hobbit jumped, slack jawed at seeing who was quickly marching over to kneel before him. “Rayna?”

“Tell me, no lies.” The woman snapped, keen eyes searching his neck and face for any sign of cuts or bruising. “Are you injured?”

“You’re here?” Bilbo stated, clearly still in a state of shock.

“Irrelevant! Are you injured, damn you?!” Rayna growled at him without meaning to.

The Halfling paled considerably at her demand. “Y-you saw?” Rayna forced her rage back then, pushing back the urge to storm the mountain all by herself to throttle the idiot dwarf.

“Everyone did, and Thorin’s likely damned himself for whatever stupid thing he’s done now, whatever that may be. But he doesn’t matter, not right now. Don’t make me ask again, hobbit.”

“N-no, he didn’t hurt me.” Bilbo stammered, his warm brown eyes prickling with unshed tears. “Just broke my heart, that’s all.”

“Were you an elf, you’d be wilting like flower in winter.” Rayna seethed, the idea of seeing the normally affable hobbit so putdown felt like a stab at her heart. “Stupid dwarf king.”

“But I betrayed him!” the hobbit protested, if half-heartedly.

“So bad that it warranted this?! Mates don’t just turn on each other, hobbit.” The shifter woman snapped viciously.

“I—wait, mates?” Bilbo asked, his face going from pale to red in a second.

“You smell of him, and he of you were I to catch whiff of him.” Rayna said with her usual bluntness, but forced it to soften so to show how much she disliked his predicament. “This is a wound I don’t know how to heal, little friend.”

Bilbo nodded shakily. “I expect not.” He fell silent, giving a loud sniff, searching his pocket for his trusty handkerchief. “He was so angry…nothing I said got through to him.”

“What did you do to get him so furious?”

“Only the one thing I could think to save him: I stole the Arkenstone.” The hobbit told her, perfectly morose.

Rayna stared blankly. “Pull the other one.”

“No, really! I found it in the treasure but…he began to act strangely once we got into the treasure room. Obsessed with finding his birthright and keeping the gold from everyone he thinks wronged him. I thought…I thought taking the stone to Bard and Thranduil would get him to see reason.” Bilbo brought the handkerchief up to blow his nose, making his voice sound clearer when next he spoke in pure misery. “Clearly not.”

Frowning, Rayna moved away to sit on the cot across from Bilbo’s. “It’s the gold sickness isn’t it?”

“There is no doubt. I am only glad Fili and Kili haven’t caught it yet.”

“Young as they are, they are strong hearts. It’s going to take more than a curse like this to get those two fools to give in to this insanity.” The shifter woman surmised, looking the sullen hobbit right in the eye as she went on. “The Durin line is very robust. Survival is what they do best, it seems.”

“All I did was what I was hired to do. My only error was not giving it to him as he’d asked me to.” Bilbo tried to explain, only making Rayna frown all the deeper.

“Elves and dwarves have hated each other for centuries over a lost jewel. Thorin has wanted his birthright for almost two hundred years all because of his grandfather’s madness and a dragon’s greed.” Rayna spat irritably, making the hobbit wince. “Having a hobbit take hold of it for a month shouldn’t be so bloody difficult.”

“Explain that to Thorin.”

“I just might.” The dark-haired woman growled. “If I don’t string his guts like Yuletide garland in a nearby tree first.”

“Is that truly necessary?!” Bilbo demanded, horrified.

The dark look Rayna gave him made the hobbit swallow audibly. “Trust me, hobbit, I can think of worse things to do to him. Be glad I find that’s the worst I feel like doing to him for nearly killing you.”

Bilbo didn’t say much after that, possibly too shocked by the words to have anything to counter with them. His sleep came with little ease and when he did sleep, it wasn’t for very long and often waking with terror in his eyes. Rayna wondered more often than not if she should put some kind of drug in his water just to get the hobbit to sleep properly for just one night. She couldn’t get angry with the hobbit either, knowing her rage was meant for Thorin at this point, all of which she would vent on Orc heads. The only time they really talked was when Bilbo asked about the book she had, allowing the hobbit to borrow it to skim the pages. He almost gave it back later that night when she told him. “Keep it.”

“But--!”

“I’ve got it memorized anyway. I just read the book itself as a whim.” She told him, the excuse only half true. Though she did read it on a whim, it was only because Rayna had spent nearly a decade writing the book for her godchildren. Sacrificing the first copy to an emotionally unstable hobbit wasn’t very damaging to her plans for the stories inside. After all, she could just write another one.

“Alright.” Bilbo finally agreed, smiling faintly possibly for the first time in days. “Thank you.”

“Enjoy it. I know I did.” Rayna muttered, turning over in bed and falling asleep.

Bilbo nodded, once again unable to say anything. He read the book for as long as his eyes would remain open, finding it hard to be enthralled in the tale of a young warrior facing off against foes with his wit and knowledge of riddles and puzzles instead of just his sword. He was well into how the nameless hero was trying to talk a mermaid of all creatures into parting with a black pearl of legend when sleep finally claimed him.

He woke to the dawn and war drums, making the hobbit jump up and out of bed. Seeing the other beds were empty, Bilbo was up and out of the tent in less than a minute, uncaring that his face was unwashed and had gone without his breakfast. Behind him, the book lay on the ground, lying pages down and forgotten. By late afternoon, Bilbo was caught in his own battle, sword Sting in hand and the ring on his finger, able to call about the eagles coming before a stone struck him down and back into the blackness of sleep all over again.

\----

Rayna stood with the elves when the fighting started. The few around her were probably unnerved by her presence but she didn’t care to notice. Seeing the long lines of ugly faces and stinking beasts stirred her deepest rage, making it easier to call on the power she would need for the hours to come. Like everyone else, Rayna met the coming hordes head on, pleased their number was fewer thanks to the volley of arrows that disabled or outright killed dozens at a time but leaving just enough for everyone else. It wasn’t long before the whole valley descended into bloody chaos, bodies falling and blood spilling to darken the earth under their boots. Seeing Erebor’s gates, blocked by large stones as the original ones had been torn asunder by Smaug’s grand exit come down had been interesting. Not as much as the thirteen dwarves that came charging out with armor and weapons of the finest make, all likely from the treasure hoard deep within the mountain. Another Orc coming to replace his fallen fellow kept Rayna from marveling at the dwarves for a second longer, once again caught up in the fray. At some point, being cut and nearly run through with swords got her roaring, hands becoming clawed while the teeth in her mouth sharpened. It gave her opponents quite a scare to see her fanged smile when they came her way, often ripping their throats open with her claws or slicing them up with her sword. Despite how angry she was, Rayna still had enough sense to aid others in the mess they were all in. It seemed of all the fighters, the humans were in the most desperate need of her aid, even after over a month of training to try and get them in some kind of fighting shape. The most she did was cut at limbs or get the Orc in the back somehow as a distraction, allowing him to be killed by the human he was fighting. More than once, the warrior she helped stared at her with surprise, rarely given the chance to say anything when another Orc came plowing forward.

Not that Rayna was looking for any kind of gratitude. All she meant to do was fight, and hopefully see Azog dead. For the moment, killing more and more of his minions would have to do, often sending the foul smelling creatures to the floor with large gashes for their trouble to die in a pool of their own blood. At some point, she came across an Orc with a spear of all things, forced to dance away from the thin blade and the short jabs used to try and catch her off guard. As fast as the Orc was, Rayna was faster, ducking by the metal spike to cut the shaft in two before bringing her sword up to lop off the creature’s head. Grabbing up the spear’s remaining shaft the shifter woman hefted it up to her shoulder to send it flying towards a trio of Orcs bearing down on what looked like a pair of dwarves about to be overwhelmed. She must’ve thrown the pole of wood harder than usual for it went clean through the first and got stuck in the second just for the pointed end to have enough momentum to wound the third. One of the dwarves took advantage and ran the dying Orc through to ensure its fall. She would’ve seen who it was had another blade hadn’t distracted her, cutting her arm when the woman was too slow to get out of its path. The pain had her roaring again, charging like a bull at her latest opponent. It wasn’t long before he too was felled and on came the next and then the next. Time didn’t matter until night began to darken the sky and rain was rushing down with crashes of thunder. The falling water was cold but helped clean off all the blood, even if it turned the dirt to mud, making it harder to stand properly sometimes. It was hard but Rayna used the handicap well in getting her foes to trip or slide somehow and dooming themselves. The task of killing them this way became tedious but still fun in a way, amused at their differing expressions of shock when their steps only brought them to their deaths faster. A warg somehow got the upper hand by jumping onto her back and biting down on her shoulder, earning a shout of pain and fist on the nose for its trouble. When the beast still wouldn’t let go, Rayna snarled at the creature. “Release me, foul mutt!”

Her words were backed by an unusual act of her shifting ability, turning herself into water, something she rarely did, but still kept her original shape. Instead, her new liquid sense of being grew spines sharp as razors and tipped with freezing cold ice for extra puncturing power. At the feel of being skewered, the beast howled and struggled only to make itself bleed out faster and die once it slumped to the ground. Relieved of both the pain and the beast’s weight, Rayna used both her present state and the falling rain to send even more to their deaths. A few put up a good fight, swords getting stuck in her liquid-made middle or nearly slicing her in two. Every one earned her sword for their trouble, though one Orc got lucky and tore her top half completely apart with his axe. The feeling of being split it two was unnerving but not that hard to fix, able to use more spikes this time from the ground to kill her attacker while she recovered. Incensed by her actions, one Orc got it in his head to chase her living puddle around so to strike at it with his sword. His constant bashing didn’t hurt per se, but they did hinder Rayna’s ability to reform, forced to split into several puddles in order to get away. It was strange, seeing the world with multiple views, like looking through a prism but not hard to adjust to once given a moment. So when the Orc still didn’t give up, Rayna became frustrated. _Alright, if that’s how you want to play it._ Drawing all the loose earth and mud to her, Rayna willed the material to rise up and take the form of warriors, able to make three of them while those around stopped and gaped in shock at the sight. Wielding swords made from the many loose stones, several Orcs were crushed under the bulky weapons as consequence. Nearby, men were crying out.

“Sorcery!” one shouted as he scrambled away from one of the earth warriors.

“What devilry is that!?” another asked desperately, uncertain of what to do.

Ignoring his fellows, a third darted over through the chaos, his dark eyes kind as he took in how Rayna finally managed to retake her human form our of the water she had become. “My lady, are you well?”

Rayna glanced at him, keeping her expression neutral. “Just annoyed.” She responded, unsure how else to speak to the oddly considerate man. “And it’s Captain.”

The man blinked. “Captain?”

Her reply was lost when she spotted a new group of Orcs and wargs heading for them, making her shout. “Watch your flank!”

At once the man and many others turned at her command, facing the new threat with loud cries and able swords. An hour, several, she didn’t know how long it took to lose her earthen constructs and the man who’d actually spoken kind words to her. The cold rain, loud thunder and flashing lightning made telling time difficult, only faltering from jarring sword strikes or the lucky archer able to get an arrow in her leg or back. All of these were painful but only fueled Rayna’s anger, willing her to fight harder, stronger, longer. Finally, amidst the chaos, Thorin’s voice somehow thundered over the din of the battle as he called. “Nephews! To me!”

Startled by the command and knowing it probably wasn’t good, Rayna killed her latest opponent to dart through the frenzied mess, avoiding blades and stumbling foes and allies alike on her way. A broken arrow shaft was still stuck in her leg, making her trek difficult, as were the ones that had gotten lodged in her shoulder. _At least they’re not poisoned._ She thought distantly through her pain, managing to get past the crowds to gaze up the small hill in awe: there stood Azog, with his metal claw of a hand and large mace in his real one, blue eyes seeming to glow in the darkness of the night as he towered over where Thorin was crouched. The dwarf king looked bloody and if the way his left arm hung was to go by, it was broken and left him open. On either side of the hulking Orc were Fili and Kili, the younger of the pair having either lost or abandoned his bow in favor of his sword while his brother held his matching set. Chests heaving and shoulders hunched possibly from exhaustion, Rayna could tell it was going to take more than just the two of them to win this fight. Uncertain if fire would even work with all the rain pouring down on them, Rayna instead put away her sword and pulled her bow. Choosing an arrow from the quiver on her back, the dark-haired woman willed the power of ice into the projectile as she notched it, took aim and let it fly.

Flying fast and quiet, barely whistling as it soared swift and true, striking the massive Orc in the left shoulder. Roaring from the sudden pain, Azog whipped around for his eyes to fall on her, rage flashing in his brilliant orbs. With a jagged sneer, the Pale Orc rumbled out an ominous command. “ _There! A shape-changer! Kill her! Do it quickly!_ ”

All three dwarves turned to openly stare, clearly under the impression they would not see her again. Her element of surprise lost, Rayna didn’t linger for any of the Orcs under Azog’s command to attack her, only staying long enough to shoot another arrow at Azog, this time getting him in the leg. Cursing and stumbling, Azog’s enraged shouts followed Rayna on her mad dash to get away from her new pursuers. She gave them a good runaround, leading several to be killed by others before turning around and finishing off those left over. A loud roar from atop the hill got her running back, hoping it was Azog who’d fallen and not Thorin. Guide or not, Rayna hated wasted effort. Once again free of the hordes, Rayna looked up and saw her arrows had done their work, the ice magic having frozen the Orc’s flesh. His leg stiff and left arm now useless, the once mighty Defiler was stumbling and bloody, his face a vision of rage as Thorin stood to face him. Wielding the Dwarven sword he’d found within the mountain, the dwarf king used his only functioning arm to strike at the Orc’s hindered leg. The blow was strong and caused the ice to crackle, the limb breaking to show the depth of the magic affecting it. Azog crumbled to the muddy ground with a cry and a curse, staring up in defiance while Thorin stood over him in turn and drove the well-crafted sword through the Orc’s throat. His face barely changed from the angered grimace, wincing at the blade cutting through his esophagus and spinal cord. Disabled and struggling against his demise, Azog finally died gasping past the blood flooding his throat.

Ignoring how his nephews darted forward to help their uncle finally give in to his fatigue when his legs finally gave way, Rayna slowly marched up the hill. Seeing the Pale Orc up close once more, now lying dead as she’d hoped for so long, felt surreal to her tired mind. Rage mingled with pain on the fallen creature’s features, probably the only true emotions he ever felt during his life. Looking up from the corpse before her, Rayna found the Durin royals were staring at her, Thorin’s jaw a bit slack with awe while the two princes appeared stunned. In a voice deeper than normal and serene with power, Rayna spoke. “The wind flows in your favor, king of Durin. Blood for blood, a life for a life. Vengeance…and justice both.”

“You were here…this whole time?” Thorin asked in a hushed voice, somehow audible over the battle still raging around them. “Why?”

“To witness.” She told him simply. “I bid you and your kin farewell, o king, you and yours are home again and my presence needed no longer.” With her words, the air around them began to move, answering her silent call to help her away.

Almost dropping his uncle’s arm, Kili sounded desperate as he moved to step forward, expression caught in a painful look she didn’t understand. “No, wait!”

“My favor has been fulfilled, task completed.” Rayna stated, the wind already swirling around taking some of her color away, making the edges of her form blur. Her voice sounded eerily distant as she spoke one last time with finality. “Goodbye.”

She ignored their desperate shouts as a whistling gale full of icy rain helped her away and into the sky above. Away from the blood and the death cries, into the clouds heavy with the water they held and the charge of lightning. Going with the currents hidden in the sky, Rayna allowed them to ferry her south, crossing over Mirkwood to follow the Anduin down towards the coast and the city of Minas Tirith. Hours passed long before and after she passed the North and South Undeep, Emyn Muil, only catching glimpses of the Brown Lands, Dead Marshes and proud peak of Sarn Gebir. Seeing the White City in the distance for the first time in ages was a mixed experience, elated to know there was someone within its majestic walls who knew her name and would treat her fairly yet know their meeting would be in secret. I wonder how my cousin is doing. Dipping out of the current to head straight for the second ring of the ancient city of Men, Rayna only had to search for a few minutes to find her cousin’s house. As a healer, the older woman was able to gain her own private residence so to house herself and her patients. To her relief, the top floor window was open, allowing Rayna to enter as she was. Simply appearing in the street, bloody and beaten wouldn’t make for the best of impressions. Her luck was made better upon finding her cousin was in the room she was entering, reading an ancient tome in an effort to reacquaint herself with the contents most likely. Turning at the rush of wind filling her home, the older woman spun around to reveal a pale face untouched by hardship and mint green eyes full of nothing but kindness. She only gasped upon seeing her younger cousin come into being in the middle of the room, openly horrified by the blood, mud and broken arrow shafts sticking out of Rayna’s flesh. Speaking in their people’s lilted tongue, the woman spoke in a halting voice. “ _Cousin…what is the cause of this?_ ”

“ _Justice._ ” Rayna stated tiredly, her efforts to reach her destination catching up so that she felt her knees crumble, giving in to oblivion.

\----

End of Part 1

 


End file.
